"A Lady Over 100 in Human Years"... World's Oldest Gorilla Celebrates Her 69th Birthday

Berlin Zoo Gorilla 'Patu' Celebrates 69th Birthday
Estimated to Have Been Born in West Africa in 1957
Wild Gorillas Typically Live 35 to 45 Years

Patu, a female gorilla recognized as the world's oldest, celebrated her 69th birthday.

Patou, the world's oldest gorilla listed in the Guinness World Records, celebrated her 69th birthday. Berlin Zoo Instagram

According to Yonhap News on April 13 (local time), citing the German daily Berliner Morgenpost, "Berlin Zoo held a birthday party for Patu on this day, preparing a gift basket filled with carrots, cherry tomatoes, beets, and salad."

Patu is listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest gorilla. While wild gorillas typically live 35 to 45 years, Patu's age is well over 100 in human years. The zoo estimates that Patu was born in the wild of West Africa in 1957 and celebrates her birthday on April 13. It is said that in 1959, a French sailor left Patu at a bar in Marseille as payment for his drinks, and the bar owner later donated her to Berlin Zoo.

On this day, the zoo set up a birthday table for Patu and made it public for visitors. Zookeeper Christian Ost explained, "Patu drinks a cup of tea every morning and evening as part of her daily routine," adding, "Her favorite is fruit tea." However, fruits high in sugar were excluded from the birthday spread because they could lead to obesity and digestive issues.

Torsten Schöne, who attended the birthday party again this year, told the media, "There seems to be no significant difference from last year," and added, "I am happy to see the healthy appearance of the old lady once again."

However, it was reported that Patu shows clear signs of aging: she has lost all her teeth, her eyesight is blurred, and it takes her a long time to move due to arthritis. Zookeeper Jennifer Han commented, "There are good days and bad days. Her condition fluctuates," and added, "She might live to 70, but she also might not wake up tomorrow morning."

Patu has only one offspring, a female named Dufte born in 1974. As Dufte gave birth to two grandchildren, Patu's extended family has grown to about 40 members over five generations. Some of them have already passed away before Patu.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.