Sunny skies and spring temperatures made for the perfect setting for the 65th birthday today of Fatou, the world's oldest gorilla living at Berlin Zoo.
At this age, the western lowland gorilla is what the zoo calls "almost something of a legend".
"Gorillas living in the wild have a life expectancy of about 40 years and at 65, she has been the world’s oldest living gorilla for a while," said Christian Aust, in charge of apes.
"65 is absolutely extraordinary and that obviously needs to be celebrated in style," said Aust as Fatou enjoyed her birthday cake made of boiled rice and curd, vegetables, raspberries and blueberries.
According to Berlin Zoo, western lowland gorillas are an endangered species after their natural habitat was continuously decimated.
"Fewer and fewer animals live in the tropical rainforests of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon and the Republic of Congo," according to Berlin Zoo which added that gorillas are the largest ape species with a weight of up to 200kg which eat between 15 to 20kg of leaves, grass, bark and fruits.
Mpenzi aged 36, Bibi (25) with her one-year-old daughter Tilla, Djambala (20) and Sango (17) are the other gorillas living at Berlin Zoo.
