At his 66th birthday, on Thursday, April 13, 2023, the gorilla “Fatou” arrived. The “birthday”, celebrated at the Berlin Zoo, Germany, was received with joy by thousands of people in different countries, as this gorilla became the “oldest in the world”.

In that “zoo” he won the affection of everyone since he arrived in 1959, when he was only two years old.

Gorilla Fatou turns 66, making it the oldest known ape of this species

The gorilla is in the Berlin Zoo. Photo Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ

“Fatou” she fulfilled happily

Like any birthday boy, the gorilla was the target of fruit gifts and was followed by television and still cameras.

On Thursday morning, her caretakers gave her an edible bouquet and a basket full of fruit and vegetables, noting the age she had reached: 66.

The basket contained, among other things, watermelon, peppers and dandelion petals, as well as a bouquet of edible flowers and berries, the agency EFE described.

Although they celebrate it every April 13, the gorilla’s date of birth is not exactly known, Infobae reported. Nor “has it been possible to clarify how he got to the German capital from West Africa, where he was born in freedom”.

A legend indicates that a sailor left it in a tavern in Marseilles to pay a debt.

On her birthday, she ate watermelon and other fruits. Photo: Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ

Gorilla health

The beloved animal looks good despite the passing of the years.

“We pay a lot of attention to Fatou’s health and always adjust his diet accordingly. Due to his age, he needs a lot of soft food that he can chew well even though he has no teeth,” said the person in charge of the gorilla enclosure, Ruben Gralki.

For the occasion, which is attracting the planet’s attention, the director of the “Zoo”, Andreas Knieriem, in the capital of Germany “expressed the hope that the meeting with “Fatou” will help visitors to become aware of problems such as the destruction of the gorillas’ natural habitat due to logging and mining, as well as the poaching of this great ape species, which is considered endangered.”