OH, this grief is overdone, said a manager in an SMS.

'She's just an animal, after all.'

Yet, more than 4,000 people made the long trip to the zoo on a Sunday morning to bid a tearful goodbye.

To that unkind cut, consider the changing makeup of Singaporeans when they can feel more than just compassion for animals. They can also appreciate their individuality and rarespirit.

Was Ah Meng just an orang utan? Well, look at the faces of the women on these pages.

To all who grieved, she was an icon, an ambassador, a superstar.

A mother, a sister, a friend.

Their words.

They didn't see a mere ape.

They saw a lady.

For a farewell, she got a funeral fit for a queen.

Ms Fanny Lai, group CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said this is the first time the zoo has given any animal a memorial service. The 'standard procedure' for dead animals starts with an autopsy and ends with the carcass in a 'bio-secure' bag.

'But Ah Meng is not just another animal for us,' said Ms Lai.

She is 'irreplaceable'.

HUMAN COFFIN

Zoo curator Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, 57, who had cared for Ah Meng since 1971 (the year she was confiscated from a local family keeping her as a pet illegally), initially had doubts.

Will people come for an animal's memorial service, he wondered. He was shocked so many did.

'This proves that people really love her,' he said.

The service took place at Garden With A View. There, in a white, human-sized coffin with flowers, lay Ah Meng, her long arms crossed on her chest.

Mr Roland Tay of Direct Singapore Funeral Services donated the coffin.

'It's a gift of love for her,' said the undertaker, associated with organising a wake for Huang Na, the murdered China girl.

Madam P Rajeswari, 48, a school security officer, who was there with dragonfruits and flowers, said: 'She's a good friend of mine.'

She felt a strong bond when they first met 10 years ago for breakfast.

The personable ape had put her arms around her, she said.

Madam Khamsiah Osman, 50, a housekeeper, had eyes as red as her dress. Ever since her son's first birthday, she has been taking him to the zoo to greet Ah Meng on his special day every year. He is now 19.

'She is like my sister,' she said.

Ah Meng was a doting mother with six grandchildren and four surviving children. She died at the age of 48.

The numbers reflect another side of us which is also typically Singaporean.

Punters noted that one of the winning numbers the day after her death was 6448.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 11, 2008.