World’s oldest gorilla Fatou celebrates 69th birthday with special zoo treat

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The world’s oldest gorilla, aged 69, recently celebrated its birthday at the Berlin Zoo.

Fatou the western lowland gorilla has been a resident of the zoo since 1959. She was likely born in West Africa around 1957.

Guinness World Records confirmed she was the oldest gorilla living in a zoo or wildlife park, and she’s been recognized as such since 2019.

Fatou celebrates 69th birthday with healthy “feast” at Berlin Zoo

To mark the special day, the zoo staff created a birthday feast for the animals, featuring a variety of fresh vegetables like tomatoes, beets, and lettuce.

This is a remarkable achievement, as gorillas usually live only 35 to 40 years in the wild. Fatou has lived much longer than expected for her species.

Fatou was brought over to Europe from Africa in 1959.

Even though she’s getting older, Fatou is still quite active. However, like many seniors, she’s experiencing some health issues like arthritis, failing vision, and tooth loss. Because of this, her food needs to be softened to make it easier for her to eat.

While her actual birth date isn’t known, Fatou’s birthday is celebrated every year on April 13th. According to Guinness World Records, she was brought to Europe from Africa in 1959 by a sailor, who surprisingly traded the baby gorilla to settle a bar bill.

If you’re interested in more monkey business, Punch the Monkey’s epic saga has you covered.

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2026-04-14 15:19