Belfast Zoo have announced that one of their two new chimpanzees has died, three weeks after he arrived at the Cave Hill site.
Tombe, who had previously been living at Colchester Zoo for 28 years, arrived in Belfast on 4th March alongside his companion Tumba and Colchester Zoo's family of five Bush Dogs as part of and Endangered Species Programme
The animals had originally been scheduled to move to Northern Ireland as part of after their travel plans had been scuppered by Storm Eowyn.
Announcing the sad news, Belfast Zoo said: "We are heartbroken to share that Tombe, one of our male chimpanzees, passed away on 28 March.
"Tombe was welcomed to Belfast Zoo just three weeks ago with his companion, Tumba, as part of a European-wide conservation programme. A probable heart attack is suspected, but we await full postmortem results.
"Though his time with us was short, he had already started to settle in and while we are devastated by his loss, we’re pleased that Tumba is doing well and has integrated into the wider troop, where he is thriving.
"We extend our deepest thanks to the team at Colchester Zoo, who cared for Tombe for 28 years and to our dedicated staff who supported him throughout his transition."
Last year, Belfast City Councillors raised concerns after Belfast Live revealed following a Freedom of Information request that 40 animals had died at Belfast Zoo over a period of 14 months.
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