From Harambe, the gorilla whose death reignited the debate over animal rights, to Pedals, the long-suffering New Jersey bear that walked on two legs, some of the world's most famous animals passed in 2016.
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Cincinnati Zoo
Harambe, a 17-year-old male gorilla, was shot dead earlier this year after a child fell into his enclosure. His death was a flashpoint for the animal rights debate, and he became a wildly popular meme as well.
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NBC 4 New York
A white-tailed buck who was granted a last-minute reprieve from euthanasia after being captured in Harlem died in mid-December. The one-antlered buck died while state officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation were arranging transportation to relocate the deer upstate.
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Blake Wallis/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
The last known living 9/11 search dog died in a Houston suburb at age 16. Bretagne, a golden retriever, was euthanized at a veterinary clinic in the Houston suburb of Cypress, according to a statement from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service. She is seen here with handler Denise Corliss.
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EFE
The world's oldest panda in captivity, Jia Jia, died in October in Hong Kong at age 38.
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Help Save Pedals Facebook Page
Pedals, New Jersey's famous upright-walking bear, was killed during this year's annual bear cull. The bear had an injured leg or paw that didn't allow it to walk comfortably on all four paws.
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Brookfield Zoo’s popular bird Cookie, an 83-year-old Major Mitchell’s cockatoo who had been at the zoo since it opened in 1934, died this year. Cookie was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living parrot in 2014.
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AP
Famously dubbed the "world's saddest polar bear," Arturo sank into a deep depression following the death of his partner, prompting a global campaign to free him from Argentina's Mendoza Zoo in Argentina. The country's last captive polar bear, he died July 3 at the age of 30.
