A female gorilla living in a German zoo celebrated her 69th birthday on Monday, extending her record as the world’s oldest living gorilla and the longest-serving resident of the facility.
Born in western Africa in 1957, she arrived in Europe in 1959, transported in the luggage of a French sailor. According to zoo officials, the sailor could not settle his bill at a tavern and gave the gorilla to the landlady as payment. She soon after made her way to the German capital.
The gorilla belongs to a species that typically does not survive beyond its 40s in the wild, and even in captivity, reaching 50 is considered very advanced age.
In 1974, she gave birth to the first gorilla born at the Berlin Zoo. Though her offspring died in 2001, her granddaughter still keeps her company. She has at least three great-great-great grandchildren as of 2026.
“We are very proud to have been able to accommodate an animal with us now for more than half a century. We are pleased that Fatou is in such good health despite her age,” the zoo director said on one of her previous birthdays.
Today, the gorilla has her own private enclosure and dedicated staff. Zoo workers say she prefers to sit back and watch the other gorillas play rather than join in.
