NEW DELHI: India's oldest chimpanzee, Rita, which had been battling old age-related health problems and was on a liquid diet, died at the Delhi zoo on Tuesday, officials said.
"The 59-year-old chimpanzee had not been keeping well since July 27. She was not eating properly and had become frail," a Delhi zoo official said.
Since July 27, she was on a diet of juice, coconut water and milk with ground almonds and walnuts.
Born on December 12, 1960, in Amsterdam Zoo and acquired by the Delhi zoo in 1990, Rita was the oldest chimp in India and probably the "oldest in Asia", according to the Limca Book of Records.
On average, a chimpanzee has a lifespan of around 50 years.