Ah Meng- more then just an ape

I still remember the first time i heard about Ah Meng the orang utan of the singapore zoo. I was only in primary school then, primary 2 if i am not mistaken. Back then i was already an avid animal lover but only for those that looked cute and cuddly and most certainly to an 8year old, apes did not fall into that category. When i first saw a children's storybook about Ah Meng, the thing that caught my attention was the ape's name. My mom told me that Ah Meng was a female orang utan who was a star at the zoo. I found it strange that they named a female ah meng as i associated the name to those typical of the male gangsters such as ah beng and ah hock, and ah meng does sound like a guy's name to me. Anyway back then, i had no interest in Ah Meng at all as in my eyes all she was was just this giant, hairy, ugly uncute creature compared to little rabbits, cats and dogs. I really did not understand the big fuss over Ah Meng and often wondered why other people would even bother to visit Ah Meng at the Zoo. However as years past and i grew older, Ah Meng came to be one of my country's top national and tourism icon. Stories of activities involving Ah Meng were many over the years and i grew to love and adore this giant, hairy creature. From newspapers and video clips on the news i came to know more about Ah Meng and what a smart ape she really was. I felt that she was very charismatic and lovable from all the pictures that i've seen of her. I knew Ah Meng was quite an old ape and getting on in years as i once saw a news programme about treating her ailments which were probably caused by her old age. I have recently made a resolution to go visit the zoo some time soon to visit Ah Meng, this would be the first time i am seeing Ah Meng in the flesh. Unfortuantely things were not meant to be. I just read in the newpaper today that Ah Meng has passed on already on chinese new year day. I was really shocked and sad to hear the news and now i regret not planning a trip to the zoo earlier. All i wanna say now is bye bye Ah Meng, and i hope her legacy will shine through her offspring:)