Old monkey dead at Utah zoo

SALT LAKE CITY, July 3 (UPI) -- Officials at Utah's Hogle Zoo said a capuchin monkey thought to be among the world's oldest has died from cancer in its jaw.

Zoo spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite said the monkey, Jocco, died in its sleep June 13 and a sign has been placed at the monkey's habitat to inform "his friends," The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday.

The spokeswoman said Jocco may have been as old as 45, but there is some dispute about its age due to the zoo's practice of naming dominant males "Jocco" in the 1960s.

"So, whenever one would die, the next one would become Jocco," she said.

Braithwaite said the naming practice makes it difficult to pinpoint the monkey's age at the time of its death..