World’s oldest gorilla Fatou celebrated her 68th birthday at her home for 66 years, Berlin Zoo.
According to Guinness World Records, the world's oldest gorilla in captivity marked her 68th birthday on April 11, 2025, at a zoo in Germany in front of gathered media and a crowd.
Fatou, who has been living in the Berlin Zoo since 1959, was presented with an array of easy-to-chew vegetables, leaves, and fruit, including strawberries, as she no longer has any teeth.
Berlin Zoo’s CEO, Dr Andreas Knieriem, said, “Fatou is truly extraordinary. Not just because she’s breaking all age records at 68, but because her calm and dignified demeanour captivates everyone.”
“She serves as an ambassador for her endangered relatives in the wild and reminds us why we must show more empathy for the other beings on this planet. We city dwellers tend to forget how dependent we are on intact natural habitats,” he added.
Moreover, Fatou was first found in Western Africa by a French sailor in 1959 who traded her for drinks at a tavern in Marseilles. Then a French animal trader, Madame Lafevre, acquired her and sold her to Berlin Zoo. Since then she has been living in the zoo.
The zoo has nominated her birthday to be April 13, and every year a large crowd and media gather in the zoo to celebrate Fatou’s big day. The number of visitors and press has increased since she surpassed the milestone age of 60 in 2017.
