Headline-making primate dies at 50 years old at sanctuary in Locust Grove

Shawn-Shawn — a 50-year-old primate who made history in 1975 when she was born at Zoo Atlanta as the first gibbon-siamang hybrid ever reported — died this week at Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove.

Shawn-Shawn, nicknamed a “siabon” and a “gibbang” to describe her genetics as the daughter of a male Mueller gibbon and a female siamang, made the front page of The New York Times in July 1979.

Her parents’ chance mating while in captivity at Zoo Atlanta was “considered remarkable,” stated the article, because genetic analysis had shown the chromosomes in the cells of each parental species to be almost entirely different.

Analysts also noted in the article that Shawn-Shawn’s birth made more plausible the possibility of hybridization between other distantly related primates, such as a gorilla or chimpanzee, or human being and great ape.

In 1997, Shawn-Shawn was moved to Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary from a nearby behavioral research facility where she would reside in the primate area with two spider monkeys.

A few weeks ago, in mid-December, Noah’s Ark staff noticed Shawn-Shawn’s loss of appetite and increased lethargy.

Just before Christmas, Shawn-Shawn showed abdominal bloating and was transported to a vet clinic where exams and radiographs revealed a combination of pitting edema, changes to her kidneys, potential heart failure and possible cancer.

Vets predicted she would likely not survive surgery. Shawn-Shawn was euthanized to end her discomfort, stated a news release.

Noah’s Ark, a 121-acre nonprofit animal sanctuary in Locust Grove, celebrated Shawn-Shawn’s 50th birthday earlier this year, gifting the beloved primate hybrid a cake made of watermelon and pineapple. (Courtesy of Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary)

The University of Georgia will perform a full necropsy. Her cremated remains will be returned to Noah’s Ark to be memorialized.

Throughout the second half of her life, Shawn-Shawn was known at Noah’s Ark for her loud vocalizations, which often formed a songlike duet with the sounds of the sanctuary’s nearby white-handed gibbon, Cherokee.

A news release called Shawn-Shawn a “beloved primate” and “true visitor favorite” at Noah’s Ark. The 121-acre nonprofit sanctuary celebrated Shawn-Shawn’s 50th birthday earlier this year by gifting her a cake made of watermelon and pineapple.