World's Oldest Gorilla Celebrates 65th Birthday at Berlin Zoo

The Berlin Zoo threw a special 65th birthday party on April 13 for Fatou, believed to be the oldest gorilla in the world.

In a press release sent to Storyful and translated from German by Google Translate, the zoo explains how they made a birthday cake to celebrate the occasion:

“The cake base is made of rice, and we used quark, vegetables and fruit for the decoration,” district manager Christian Aust said. "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.”

Fatou arrived at the Berlin Zoo in 1959 when she was two years old, which the zoo believes makes her the oldest western lowland gorilla in the world. Her exact age is unknown, because she ended up at the zoo via an unusual way: a sailor used the little gorilla as a means of payment at an inn in Marseille, France.

However, Fatou is not the oldest animal at the zoo. That title is held by a flamingo named Ingo, who arrived at the zoo in 1948 and is now at least 71 years old. Credit: Zoo Berlin via Storyful

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