Josephine died Wednesday afternoon after her quality of life declined, the zoo said in a Facebook post.
She gave birth to a male gorilla named Moja in 1984. He was later moved to Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas, where he fathered several gorillas including Harambe, USA Today reported.
Harambe was the 17-year-old gorilla shot by a zookeeper at the Cincinnati Zoo in May, CNN reported. The gorilla had picked up and dragged a boy who fell into his enclosure. Harambe's death went viral on social media, with #RIPHarambe becoming a popular meme.
With very heavy hearts we announce the loss of our matriarch gorilla, Josephine, as well as chimpanzee, Binti. https://t.co/jj4JKCErve pic.twitter.com/FSm1D0iacJ
— Zoo Miami (@zoomiami) January 18, 2017
It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the loss of our matriarch gorilla, “Josephine.”
Posted by Zoo Miami on Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Born in the wild in...
Harambe's Grandma Josephine passed away. I don't know how gorilla heaven works, but I hope they are together now.
— Jess (@a_hoyhoy) January 19, 2017
About the Author