A fixture at Como Zoo, famous for her art work and her flair with textiles, Amanda the orangutan, who died at 46, was the quintessential animal ambassador, a gregarious great ape who helped to personalize nature while inspiring visitors to protect it. 

Orangutans and humans share 97 percent of the same DNA, but for Como Zoo’s Amanda the orangutan, those similarities always seemed much greater. From her favorite perches, high above her outdoor habitat or pressed against the bay window in Como Zoo’s primate building, Amanda could often be seen taking in the sights and gazing upon visitors with the same curiosity, bemusement and wonder that visi- tors had for her.

Born at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, Amanda arrived at Como Zoo at the age of 3, charm- ing a whole generation of visitors and keepers with her open gaze, mischievous temperament, and obvious intellect. As Como Zoo primate keeper Megan Elder often joked about meeting Amanda for the first time, “She had me at ‘hello.’ Or instead of ‘hello,’ insert a raspberry sound. She was my best friend and coworker for 20 years, and a beautiful soul in every way.”

The oldest animal at Como Zoo, Amanda celebrated her 46th birthday in December just days before be- ing diagnosed with an inoperable abdominal mass that was causing chronic damage to her kidneys. After weighing the risks of treatment against her poor prognosis and diminishing quality of life, her keepers at Como Zoo and a team of veterinary special- ists at the University of Minnesota made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the hybrid orangutan.

“It was a painful decision for everyone, but it was also unanimous,” says Elder, who is also the Orangutan Species Survival Coordinator for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and International Orangutan Studbook Keeper responsible for managing the genetic history of all of the estimated 3,000 orangutans in human care. “She was in pain, and we didn’t want her to suffer.”

Amanda died on December 17, surrounded by the keepers who adored her. When the news broke, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter declared an official Amanda the Orangutan Day, while hundreds of visitors to Facebook sent their sympathies to Como Zoo’s staff.

“Zoos teach visitors to value the natural world by encouraging us to empathize and connect with animals on a personal level, and I can’t think of another animal at Como Zoo who did that better than Amanda,” says Jackie Sticha, President of Como Friends. “Few of us will ever get a chance to see an orangutan in the wild, but so many Como visitors have come to care deeply about orangutan survival because of their connection with Amanda. She will be greatly missed.”

Written for Como Friends