His half brother and four other members of his troop sat beside him to touch the body of their companion for one last time.

Jo Mendi, a 26-year-old male chimpanzee at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, died Friday after routine dental surgery.

Later that day, the five other chimpanzees Jo Mendi had lived with since 2001 were given an opportunity to bid him farewell.

"There was not a dry eye in the place," said Bert Vescolani, director of the zoo. "It was a huge loss. It was like losing a family member."

The body of Jo Mendi was brought to MSU's Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health for a necropsy — the dissection and examination of a dead body — to determine how he died.

Dr. Mick Fulton, chief of anatomic pathology, said the center performs about 1,000 necropsies a year as the only full-service diagnostic center in the state.

"If the animal had died and they wanted it to have a necropsy, they would most likely send it here," Fulton said.

Vescolani, an MSU alumnus, said the necropsy facilities at MSU offer the most thorough care for the animals.

"We want to find out everything we can," he said. "Chimps often have issues with hearts, weak hearts or heart-related problems, and we want to see if that is a possibility. We don't know at this point, and we can't tell."

Recently, zoo curators discovered Jo Mendi had clipped a canine tooth at a deep angle, and they knew surgery was required to determine the severity of the situation.

Under the observation of a veterinarian and zoo animal care staff, a dentist removed the tooth Friday, which would have become infected if left intact. Jo Mendi seemed to be doing fine as they started to bring him out from the anesthesia.

Things took a turn for the worse shortly after as he lay in a secluded portion of his exhibit and appeared to stop breathing.

Zoo officials attempted to resuscitate him for about a half hour, but they were unable to revive him.

Due to a strict client-doctor confidentiality policy, Fulton was unable to speak specifically about the necropsy performed on Jo Mendi.

The necropsy process can be as quick as a half hour or as long as three hours, Fulton said, but varies depending on the animal and the condition it was in at the time of death. Post tests from the necropsy can take up to three weeks.

Many of the complications the chimpanzee might have experienced while under anesthesia are similar for all primates, said zoology Professor Richard Snider.

"When they put them down for any operational work, they have to treat it like a human being," Snider said. "Anything can happen like in a human being — something in the physiology of that animal turned off."

Although the findings of Jo Mendi's necropsy have yet to be released, Snider said they will be a valuable resource for the future.

"We are sorry the animal died, but you do need to seize the opportunity and learn," he said. "It's not like we get to see a chimp every day. Anything they find in Jo they can apply to other animals."

For the time being, members of the John Ball Zoo community are mourning in their own way, Vescolani said.

"The people who worked closest to Jo have to keep professional," he said. "It was a very tough day and it still is difficult."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.