BERLIN – Fatou, the world’s oldest captive gorilla, celebrated her 69th birthday on Monday with a feast of cherry tomatoes, beets, leeks and lettuce at the Berlin Zoo.
But no birthday cake, because sugar is not healthy for the aging primate.
Fatou, a western lowland gorilla, arrived in what was then West Berlin in 1959. She is believed to have been about 2 years old at the time, although her exact date of birth is unknown (April 13 is the day designated for her birth). Gorillas can live between 35 and 40 years in the wild and longer in captivity.
1/12 | Between lace and hats: costumed pets show off at Romania’s annual exhibition. Puricel, wearing a beret and tie, dresses up for a costume parade at the Pet Expo in Bucharest, Romania. – Vadim Ghirda
Fatou became the zoo’s oldest resident in 2024, following the death of flamingo Ingo. The bird is believed to be at least 75 years old and had lived at the zoo since 1955.
Fatou was probably born in the wild in West Africa, but the story goes that a French sailor took her out of Africa and bartered her to cover his bar tab in Marseille, France, according to Guinness World Records. A French animal dealer sold her to the zoo.
Today, Fatou lives in his own enclosure and prefers to keep his distance from the other gorillas at the zoo in his old age. He has lost his teeth and suffers from some arthritis and hearing loss.
But Christian Aust, primate supervisor at Berlin Zoo, says she is friendly with keepers, if a little stubborn.
This story was translated from English to Spanish with an artificial intelligence tool and was reviewed by an editor before publication.