August 9, 2017 Chantek, one of the world’s most famous apes, had passed away. The male orangutan was among the first apes to learn sign language, could clean his room and even went to college to study. However, he died on Monday at age 39, at Atlanta Zoo. Chantek, who was taught by a trainer who raised him like her own child, was being treated for heart disease. He is one of the oldest male orangutans in North American zoos and was born at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta. He was among a handful of primates who could communicate using American Sign Language.