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Oldest of Zoo Gorillas Turns 59 at Columbus Zoo
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A gorilla that officials say is the oldest known gorilla living in a zoo is celebrating her 59th birthday with a party in Ohio.
The Columbus Zoo says the female western lowland gorilla, named Colo, is celebrating Tuesday with toys and an ice cake containing treats such as clementines and tomatoes frozen inside. Online viewers can see Colo’s habitat draped with colorful construction paper chains and watch zoo staff and visitors serenade her in a live broadcast.
Colo was born at the zoo in 1956 and has more than two dozen descendants at zoos across the country.
More than 4,000 people around the world watched last year’s birthday broadcast.
Zoo officials say the median life expectancy for female gorillas living in a zoo is about 37 years.