Josephine, the 49-year-old matriarch gorilla at Zoo Miami, was euthanized today. Aside from being responsible for Zoo Miami's first-ever gorilla birth, she is also the grandmother of the legendary Harambe. Of course, she outlived her grandson, who was tragically killed by zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo last May, after a three-year-old boy had fallen into his enclosure. Posthumously, he has inspired great memes as well as hip-hop songs.
The decision to put down Josephine came after years of health issues, said Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill.
Josephine was born in the wild in 1967, and she came to Zoo Miami in 1983. The next year, she gave birth to Moji, who, in turn, would go on to father several children, including Harambe, arguably the most famous gorilla to ever live (all due respect to ATL's own Willie B).
The sad news comes shortly after Zoo Miami lost a beloved chimpanzee named Binti. R.I.P. to all these great apes.
