On Wednesday, the world’s oldest gorilla, Fatou, celebrated her 65th birthday at a zoo in Germany. While gorillas live 35 to 40 years on an average, Fatou has managed to live almost double the expected lifespan.
The Berlin Zoo shared a video of Fatou celebrating the special day with a birthday cake. While sharing the video, the zoo wrote, “Many thanks to our keepers for this great birthday cake. Fatou liked it! #HappyBirthday #Gorilla #ZooBerlin”.
In the video, one can see Fatou enjoying a cake that has the number 65 written on it with berries. Christian Aust, who works at the zoo, said, “The base of the cake is made of rice, and we used quark, vegetables and fruit for the decoration.”
“For her exceptionally old age, Fatou is a very vigorous old lady with a healthy appetite. We are happy every day that she is with us and hope to be able to celebrate a few more birthdays with her,” Aust added.
Vielen Dank an unsere Tierpfleger für diese tolle Geburtstagstorte. Fatou hat’s geschmeckt! #HappyBirthday #Gorilla #ZooBerlin pic.twitter.com/FxYrMGeRMT
— Zoo Berlin (@zooberlin) April 13, 2022
Fatou came under the care of the zoo in 1957, when she was just two years old. As reported by RBB Online, the gorilla was brought from West Africa by a sailor, who first brought her to France. In France, the unnamed sailor sold the young animal to a pub owner in Marseille after he was unable to clear off his dues. However, luckily for Fatou, the Berlin zoo soon acquired the young animal from the pub owner.
Gorilla-Seniorin Fatou feiert heute ihren 65. Geburtstag im #ZooBerlin und gilt damit als ältester #Gorilla der Welt. Die traditionelle #Geburtstagstorte durfte auch in diesem Jahr nicht fehlen. Mehr Infos: https://t.co/jqYhpD6mfP pic.twitter.com/byqaEUETUR
— Zoo Berlin (@zooberlin) April 13, 2022
All subspecies of gorillas, except the mountain gorilla, are now considered critically endangered. Their population is declining due to poaching, human encroachment of forest land and climate change.
