May 8, 2026 – Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla living in captivity, celebrated her 69th birthday with a feast of cherry tomatoes, beets, leeks and lettuce at the Berlin Zoo.
Fatou, a western lowland gorilla, arrived in what was then West Berlin in 1959. Fatou was likely born in the wild in western Africa, but the story goes that a French sailor took her out of Africa and bartered her to cover his bar tab in Marseille, France, according to the Guinness World Records.
A French animal trader then reportedly sold her to the zoo. She was believed to be about 2 years old at the time, though her exact birth date isn’t known. Gorillas can live for around 35-40 years in the wild and longer in captivity.
Fatou became the zoo’s oldest resident in 2024, following the death of Ingo the flamingo, which was believed to be at least 75 and had lived at the zoo since 1955.