Fatou, a gorilla who is thought to be the oldest in the world, just celebrated her 67th birthday.
The Berlin Zoo, which is home to Fatou, threw the gorilla a party for her big day, April 13, that included a giant gift basket filled with tomatoes, grapes, herbs, leafy greens, and more.
Fatou was born at the zoo in 1959, which makes her the oldest gorilla in any zoo in the world. According to Fox News, One of her vets, Andre Schüle, added that “we have to assume that there is no animal older than her in the wild” because it’s rare for those gorillas to live longer without the nutrition and medical care found in captivity.
Fatou is also the oldest living animal at the Berlin Zoo. She had been the second most senior resident until a 75-year-old flamingo named Ingo sadly passed away.
“Cheers to Fatou! 🎉,” the zoo wrote in a birthday post. “The gorilla is 67 years old today – making her not only the oldest animal at Zoo Berlin but also the oldest gorilla in the world. And of course that needs to be celebrated: Our keepers team surprised Fatou with a lavishly filled gift basket. In addition to lots of vegetables, the birthday girl was also delighted to receive some fruit for a change.
Fatou is living her senior years in her own private enclosure. The Berlin Zoo noted that she no longer enjoys mingling with the zoo’s other, younger gorillas.
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