Humanlike chimp dies at Texas refuge

Lived in a sanctuary but had performed in circus

Updated: Monday, 04 Jun 2012, 11:20 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 04 Jun 2012, 11:19 AM EDT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A chimpanzee named Oliver, known for his upright stature and humanlike traits, has died at a Texas refuge.

Officials at Primarily Primates in San Antonio believe Oliver was at least 55 years old.

Caretakers found Oliver dead Saturday in his hammock. Sanctuary officials said the former circus performer was mostly blind, had no teeth and suffered from arthritis.

Oliver had been at the Texas sanctuary since 1998, after being relocated from a research lab in Pennsylvania.

The sanctuary's website said Oliver was born in Africa and spent his early years displayed as the "Humanzee."

Experts at the University of Chicago who in 1996 did DNA studies on Oliver found no evidence of human chromosomes.

The chimp was the subject of a 2006 Discovery Channel documentary.

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