Colo, the oldest living gorilla on record, celebrated her birthday Monday at the Ohio zoo she was born at 58 years ago.
Not only is she the oldest gorilla, but Colo is also the first one to be born in captivity, according to the Associated Press. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium said the western lowland gorilla will be presented with a cake made from peanut butter, honey, applesauce and shredded carrots topped with yogurt frosting to celebrate her historic birthday.
"Every birthday Colo has is a momentous occasion," Columbus Zoo and Aquarium CEO Tom Stalf told the AP. "Her historic birth and her amazing longevity have come to represent historic achievements in gorilla care and conservation. We are so pleased to be able to celebrate this day with people from around the globe."
Colo is a mother of three, a grandmother of 16, a great-grandmother of 10 and a great-great-grandmother of three. Experts hope her rich genealogy can somehow help with the survival of her species, which has been nearly wiped out due to poaching, diseases and the destruction of their natural habitat.
Colo may be old- 21 years past the median life expectancy for female gorillas in captivity- but staff members say she is as "savvy" as ever.
"Colo seems so much younger than animals that are a decade younger than she is," Audra Meinelt, curator of the zoo's Congo Expedition, told the AP. "She is mentally sharp and very, savvy. You can tell she's getting older because she has some arthritis, but there's no way that new visitors would think she is 58."
In addition to her Ohio-shaped cake, the 58-year-old received bundles of tomatoes and clementines along with birthday songs from the zoo's staff. Colo's birthday celebration can be viewed online at the Columbus Zoo website.
