For 20 years, Sumba the white-handed gibbon has been a popular attraction at the Naples Zoo, swinging from rope to rope on special islands made for primates, surrounded by a man-made lake. But around 8 a.m. Monday, zoo staff realized she was gone.
"She's been living on these islands for 20 years, so why she would choose to go off the island is very unusual," said Liz Harmon, Director of Animal Programs at the zoo.
She said that the islands form a natural barrier for the gibbons, since they don't swim. But Harmon fears the worst - that somehow, Sumba did go in the water and drowned.
"We're just really saddened by this," Harmon said. "She's a staff favorite, so we're having a hard time with this."
Florida Fish & Wildlife and the Collier County Sheriff's Office were notified of the missing gibbon, and two divers were brought in to search the lake but did not find Sumba. The zoo closed the primate exhibit during the search.
Harmon said that even if Sumba somehow made it to shore, she's sure they would have found her.
"She would have responded to the female she's lived with for 20 years," Harmon said.
