Cameroon-born gorilla turns 40, gets a fancy bash

The Cameroon-born gorilla that arrived at Al Ain Zoo when she was just one-and-a-half years old was presented with three cakes on her 40th Birthday.

Lady of Al Ain Zoo recently turned 40 and the zoo organised a fancy birthday party for her too. One of the oldest residents of Al Ain Zoo, Lady is a Cameroon-born gorilla that arrived here when she was just one-and-a-half years old.

Presenting Lady with not one, but three cakes, Rashid Ali Al Qemzi, Al Ain Zoo’s carnivores and primates coordinator, said: “The cakes were more like fruit basket, carved out of pumpkins and filled with some of Lady’s favourite food — fruits, vegetables and chicken.”

In the wild, a gorilla’s lifespan is normally between 35 and 38 years but in captivity, assuming the facility that is keeping the gorillas cares for them properly, they can live a few years longer. Gorillas are social animals, though, making strong family bonds and, for this reason, many zoo visitors said that Lady looked depressed and “a bit mad”, but the zoo keepers disagree.

“She is fine and is in good health,” said Rashid Ali Al Qemzi, Al Ain Zoo’s carnivores and primates coordinator.

“We monitor her body weight monthly and review her diet regularly. She is under a daily enrichment programme, where every day we hide treats for her to find, such as a cool box filled with fruit and juices that she has to open herself.”