Beni the chimpanzee dies at Wellington Zoo

Wellington Zoo announced today that 9-year-old chimpanzee Beni has died. Photo / Wellington Zoo

A chimpanzee has died at Wellington Zoo a week after a deep cut was found on its leg.

Nine-year-old male Beni died last Friday.

"We discovered a deep cut on Beni's leg last Saturday and performed emergency surgery," primates team leader Harmony Wallace said.

Beni pictured with his mother Sally when he was a year old. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The primate had lost a lot of blood and had shown some signs of recovery. However, following further treatment on the Friday, Beni did not recover from the anaesthetic.

Beni was born at Wellington Zoo.

"Beni had a very cheeky personality and he made it easy for his carers, other Zoo staff and our visitors to fall in love with him," Ms Wallace said.

"He will be sorely missed by all of us and we have all been very saddened by his death."

Before Beni's death, Wellington Zoo had a troop of 11 chimpanzees, one of the largest in Australasia.

- NZN