J.T., 20-year-old orangutan, dies at Zoo Atlanta

By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jantan, a 20-year-old Sumatran orangutan who had been battling respiratory illness, died Monday at Zoo Atlanta.

“The Zoo Atlanta family is deeply saddened by the loss of J.T., both as an individual and as an ambassador for a critically endangered species,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, senior vice president of collections, education and conservation. “Our animal management and veterinary teams demonstrated exceptional commitment and diligence to ensuring that he had the best possible treatment over the course of his long illness.”

J.T. was born at Emory University’s Yerkes National Primate Research Center and arrived at Zoo Atlanta with his mother in 1991.  He is survived by one offspring, a 9-year-old male named Bernas.

Zoo Atlanta houses the nation’s largest zoological collection of orangutans. There are nine orangutans remaining.