Tonda the Orangutan Dies, Pet Cat Lives On -- Zootoo Pet News
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- Tonda, a 50-year-old orangutan whose unlikely friendship with a cat generated international attention, has died.
Tonda, whose full name is Tondaleyo, passed in her sleep sometime early Friday morning, according to ZooWorld, in Panama City, Fla.
Having celebrated her 50th birthday in February, Tonda was the oldest U.S. registered orangutan in captivity.
"She was an older lady, and we have been keeping a close eye on her," Stephanie Willard, director of education at ZooWorld, told Northwest Florida Daily Times.
Tonda's 3-year-old cat, Tonda's Kitty, also known as TK, was removed from her enclosure when zookeepers realized his surrogate mother had passed, zoo employee Jack Searles told Zootoo Pet News.
TK stayed in the gift shop over the weekend, but has now gone home with Willard. He is reportedly going to continue to live at the zoo.
Searles, who works in the gift shop, said the orange tabby's spirits were low over the weekend.
"He hid under the desk for the first day or so, and then later, he was walking around a bit, kind of not wanting to get too close to anybody," Searles said. "You could tell he seemed upset. They put him with Tonda when he wasn't even a year old. He's been with her practically his entire life."
Zookeepers paired Tonda with T.K. more than two years ago, after she became depressed following the death of her mate, Yakut, as Zootoo Pet News previously reported. The story of Koko, a captive sign-language speaking gorilla who cared for several cats, inspired the zoo to consider T.K. as a potential friend for Tonda.
The match proved successful, and instantly improved the orangutan's morale.
"Tonda very quickly got attached to the cat and got real mad at us when we would take him away," Willard previously told Zootoo Pet News. "The cat has added so much to her life."
The two would eat, sleep and play together, while Tonda always kept a maternal eye on her feline friend.
"She needed that companionship and she is the most overbearing mother in the world to the kitty cat," Willard previously said of their relationship.
Though Tonda has suffered from respiratory problems for years, she is thought to have died of old age, Searles said.
The zoo is now planning a memorial service to honor its only orangutan, who has brought in visitors from across the world throughout her 11 year stay at the facility. Even on Friday, Searles said, zoo-goers turned out to specifically see Tonda -- only to find an empty exhibit.
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