SEATTLE - A 17-year-old male DeBrazza’s guenon (gay-NOHN) monkey died suddenly yesterday in Woodland Park Zoo’s Tropical Rain Forest exhibit. According to zoo Associate Veterinarian Dr. Kelly Helmick, preliminary necropsy results indicate a mass in the heart and abdomen and significant changes to the heart, lungs and liver. A more determinant cause of death is pending based on pathology findings.

DeBrazza’s monkeys can live up to 20 years in zoos. An 18-year-old female, a mate of the deceased, and a 2-year-old female, the offspring between the two adults, remain at the zoo.

The DeBrazza’s monkey lives in Central Africa from Cameroon to Ethiopia and Kenya to Angola. An Old World monkey, the DeBrazza’s is a member of the guenon family, one of the largest groups of primates in the world. Its body is gray with black extremities and tail, with a white stripe on rump and thigh, and a noticeable facial pattern with white muzzle, long white beard and orange crown. The DeBrazza's monkey populations are at “lower risk,” which means their populations are somewhat stable. Threats to survival include the pet trade, habitat destruction and range fragmentation.

Woodland Park Zoo participates in the DeBrazza’s guenon Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program to help ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos. The zoo participates in 35 SSPs, which are administered by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). In addition to cooperative breeding, SSPs involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects.

AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation, with more than 205 zoos and aquariums as members.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.