Rest In Peace Duchess

I've been to the Phoenix Zoo a number of times over the years while living in Arizona, and have seen Duchess many times while there.  Rest in peace, Duchess.  You lived a good long life. 

Photo Credit:  Phoenix Zoo

Story Credit:  Reuters

(Reuters) - A beloved Bornean orangutan, reported by zoo keepers to be the oldest in captivity in North America, died at the Phoenix Zoo on Sunday after a weeks-long battle with cancer, officials said. She was 52.

Duchess, considered the matriarch of the Phoenix Zoo and one of its original animals, was euthanized on Sunday morning after her condition worsened from high-grade lymphosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer, officials said.

"The cancer was incredibly aggressive and over the past few days, Duchess became increasingly weak and more lethargic," Gary West, executive vice president of animal health and collections, said in a statement. "The veterinary staff, alongside the keepers, made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize her."

Duchess was diagnosed with the cancer earlier this month after zoo officials first noticed a decrease in her appetite, among other symptoms. An ultrasound test revealed the cancer.

West said efforts were made to make Duchess "as comfortable as possible" in her final days.

The popular primate, who had been living at the zoo for 50 years, was born in the jungles of Borneo where she was orphaned at a young age, zoo officials said. She arrived at the Phoenix Zoo when she was 2 years old.

During her life, she gave birth to seven offspring, outliving four of them. Her family eventually spanned four living generations.

"Although we are deeply saddened by Duchess's passing, she long surpassed the number of years that orangutans live in zoos and preserves, as well as in the wild," Bert Castro, zoo president and chief executive, said in a statement.
Zoo officials said it is common for orangutans to live 30 years in the wild and an estimated 40 years in captivity.

Duchess had taken a place among the zoo's royalty over the years, and was feted with an all-day celebration in March 2010, marking her 50th birthday with a frozen treat with her favorite fruit inside, a giant birthday card and a "Happy Birthday" song from visitors.

The event was used to kick-off a fund-raising campaign for a $4 million orangutan exhibit, which opened in April 2011.

News of Duchess' death spread quickly on social media, prompting an outpouring of remembrances of the orangutan.

"Your spirit lives on in our hearts and our memories," one poster wrote on the Phoenix Zoo's Facebook page. Another wryly said, "RIP (Rest In Peace) Duchess... thanks for entertaining all of us 'humans' for so many years."

(Editing by Mary Slosson and Sandra Maler)

Spur Cross Conservation Area - Part 4 - A Snake in the Grass

As usual, I had a great time on the Full Moon Hike. There were quite a few people there, but only Roger and I from our group. Because there were so many people there, Kevin told us we'd be hiking on the Metate Trail. We ended up hiking to a spot that overlooks Cottonwood Canyon before turning around and coming back down.

A short ways into the hike, we came upon a Diamondback rattlesnake. I believe I was somewhere in the middle of the group when Kevin saw it. It was lying right by the side of the trail, coiled up. It was in plain sight as there were no trees or bushes around it. Kevin stood by the other side of the trail and we all walked behind him to get by the snake. (I'm positive he was staring at me with his beady eyes as I went by!)

We also saw the cutest little owl off to the side of the trail. Kevin said it was a screech owl; Roger thinks it was a burrowing owl. It was the cutest little thing - so tiny!

A little further down the trail, Kevin showed us a tarantula's hole. We could see a little bit of her in there if we looked right over the hole.

It was starting to get dark as we made our way up to a portion of the trail overlooking Cottonwood Canyon. The view of the moon over the mountains was so beautiful!  We then turned around and hiked back to the parking lot and our cars. I had a great time, as usual.  My one big regret is that I didn’t have my camera with me so I don’t have a photo of that very cute owl or the Diamondback. 

Spur Cross Conservation Area - Part 3 - Another Full Moon Hike and a Bit More History

This was another really nice Full Moon Hike. We hiked basically the same trail, but with a bit of a modification. Kevin also showed us some interesting things on the trail and shared with us a bit of the history of the area.

I hiked mainly with two women, Wilma and, I can't remember the other woman's name, but at the end of the hike we were jokingly calling her Pebbles as she's a bit younger than Wilma. They had their dogs with them - Bo and Ginger. Bo is a larger dog who is very sweet-tempered and gentle. Ginger is a little Chihuahua who is also very sweet-tempered and likes to be held. "Pebbles" is an animal lover like I am so we had a nice chat at the beginning of the hike about how our pets had come to adopt us. Pebbles is really nice and Wilma is a riot!

Right after crossing Cave Creek, we went onto the Metate Trail for a bit so that Kevin could show us the site of the original Spur Cross Ranch. It's a fascinating story and you can read more about it by reading the blog posting for the Metate Trail hike. He also showed us a "fence" that he had made that day out of ocotillo cactus. For some reason, the cactus had to be dug up so they replanted it. They reinforced it with some wire so that the wind wouldn't blow it over. They plan to add to the fence and make it much larger. It will be interesting to see how it comes along.

Instead of hiking out and back like we did last time, we made a loop of sorts. We turned off and went through a wash for awhile. At one point, Kevin showed us where someone had erected a number of cairns. (A cairn is a non-naturally occurring pile of stones erected by a person or persons. They are built for several purposes.)  They call the area "Spurhenge". (lol) He showed us something else that was really interesting. I was going to take a picture of it, but I didn't think it would turn out. Anyway, it was a fairly large tree on the top of a large boulder. On the side and toward the bottom of the boulder was a very large hole through which the roots of the tree were coming. I had never seen anything quite like it.

Further up the trail, we went off it a bit so that Kevin could show us what remained of about five rooms in which the Hohokam Indians lived about 1,000 years ago. There are other similar sites in the Spur Cross Conservation Area, but they are larger (one has twenty-eight rooms).

I love the Full Moon Hikes out there. I can't wait for the next one!

(I took a few pictures, but they didn’t turn out very well.)