Oldest Gorilla Living in the U.S. Continues to Break Records by Turning 60

Colo, the world's first gorilla born in capitivity and the oldest living gorilla in the U.S., turns 60.

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Not many can boast about being a record-breaking 60-year-old like Colo the gorilla, who celebrated her 60th birthday at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Thursday, according to the Associated Press. She might have had a malignant tumor removed recently, but she’s still going strong.

Colo, a western lowland gorilla named after Columbus, Ohio, is the world’s first gorilla born in a zoo. Today Colo also became the record holder for the oldest gorilla living in captivity, exceeding the life expectancy for a captive female gorilla (37.5 years) by two decades. She broke the record for oldest gorilla in 2012 when she turned 56. For comparison, the oldest living male gorilla, Ozzie, is 55. Ozzie lives at the Atlanta Zoo.

"Colo just epitomizes the advances that zoos have made, going all the way back to her birth at Columbus," said Dr. Tom Meehan, vice president for veterinary services at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. She is one of many zoo animals whose lives have extended in old age due to medical care, therapy, and more.

Columbus Zoo advertised Colo’s celebration Thursday, and hundreds of people attended. Like any ol’ birthday party Colo’s celebration included people singing “Happy Birthday" and cakes, only these were made of beets, cornbread mashed potato parsley frosting, and squash.

Colo is a “mother of three, grandmother of 16, great-grandmother of 12 and great-great-grandmother of three” wrote the AP.

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