Ex-Lincoln Park Zoo gorilla dies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A 44-year-old silverback gorilla has died at the Louisville Zoo.

The gorilla, named Frank, suffered from chronic arthritis and heart disease and was euthanized on Thursday after he became unwilling or unable to move.

A statement from the Louisville Zoo says Frank was born in the wild in Africa but spent most of his life at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. The statement says Frank was named Chicago magazine's father of the year in 1998 because of his paternal instincts and tolerance in raising unrelated young gorillas.

Frank came to the Louisville Zoo in 2002 when it opened Gorilla Forest.