TheGytrash
Well-Known Member
I was recently reading an article about the longest-lived gorillas in history and I noticed an interesting trend. A large number of them were from the same zoos. Of the list of 48 gorillas to reach the age of 50 or more, here they are grouped by zoo (including animals from USA only, though it is worth noting that several international zoos have multiple gorillas over 50).
Zoo Atlanta (4)
Ozoum/ Ozzie (1.0, 61, died in 2022)
Choomba (0.1, 59, died in 2022)
Shamba (0.1, 58, died in 2017)
Ivan (1.0, 50, died in 2012)
Louisville Zoo (3)
Helen (0.1, 64, died in 2022)
Timmy (1.0, 52, died in 2011)
Demba (0.1, 50, died in 2021)
Columbus Zoo (2)
Colo (0.1, 60, died 2017)
Pongi (0.1, 51, died 2014)* (I've also seen her listed as 49 years old elsewhere)
Gladys Porter Zoo (2)
Lamydoc (1.0, 60, died 2022)
Katanga (0.1, 52, died 2015)
Woodland Park Zoo (2)
Pete (1.0, 51, died 2018)
Amanda (0.1, 50, died 2020)
San Diego Safari Park (2)
Winston (1.0, 52, still alive)
Vila (0,1, 61, died in 2018)
Fort Worth Zoo* (2*)
Note: Only Ramses was included on the list online, which was updated last month, but I've found other sources saying Amani is 50 years old.
Ramses I (52, still alive)
Amani (50, still alive)
Zoos With One Long-Lived Gorilla (8)
Brookfield Zoo (1.0)
Cincinnati Zoo (0.1)
Dallas Zoo (0.1)
Hogle Zoo (0.1)
Little Rock Zoo (0.1)
Oklahoma City Zoo (0.1)
Pittsburgh Zoo (0.1)
Philadelphia Zoo (1.0)
Zoos currently exhibiting gorillas with zero animals to live over 50 (30)
ABQ BIoPark
Audubon Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Buffalo Zoo
Busch Gardens Tampa
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Como Park Zoo
Denver Zoo
Detroit Zoo
Disney's Animal Kingdom (listed as having a 52-year-old gorilla, but it sounds like she died in 2017 and the zoo didn't announce it)
Franklin Park Zoo (listed as having a 50-year-old, but I believe that Gigi was mixed up with a different Gigi from Germany)
Houston Zoo (they do currently have a 49-year-old gorilla, I believe! Hopefully soon to join the list!)
Jacksonville Zoo
Kansas City Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Los Angeles Zoo
Memphis Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
North Carolina Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Riverbanks Zoo
St. Louis Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
Santa Barbara Zoo
Sedgwick County Zoo
Smithsonian's National Zoo
Toledo Zoo
Zoo Knoxville
Zoo Miami
I find it interesting to note that out of 15 zoos that have had a gorilla live to over 50, 7 of them (nearly half) have been home to more than one. With so many excellent zoos never housing a gorilla who lived to over age 50, these clumps of elderly gorillas really stand out. Zoo Atlanta and Louisville seem particularly noteworthy for their animals' longevity.
Fort Worth is also the only zoo on the list to CURRENTLY house multiple gorillas over 50. The San Diego Safari Park also houses one living elderly gorilla, having held a previous one in the past.
Why do we think some of these zoos have multiple gorillas who live so long? Is it genetics of related gorillas? Does it have to do with how/where they spent their younger years? Is it purely standard of care? What kinds of medical conditions did these gorillas live with? (I know heart disease is a VERY common cause of death for great apes and that primate biscuits can contribute to it.) Did living with other elderly gorillas help them thrive? Here are a few things I've discovered, but I'd also love to hear your thoughts.
General notes
* Most of the gorillas who've lived over age 50 who lived in the same zoo as one another passed away within the last 5 years. With so many more gorillas living into their 50's now than in the past, this may indicate a higher general standard of care.
* Of the zoos with multiple older gorillas, 9 were 0.1 and 6 were 1.0. Of the zoos with single gorillas, 8 were 0.1 and only 2 were 1.0.
* All 4 of Zoo Atlanta's elderly gorillas were wild-born. Of the rest, 14 were wild, 6 captive, and I can't find anything on Pete at Woodland Park.
Are any of these gorillas related?
* Ramses I at the Fort Worth Zoo and Samantha at Cincinnati Zoo were siblings, and their sister Gigi lived to be 47 (though she was erroneously listed as being 50 elsewhere). This does seem potentially significant to me. None of the others seem to be related, as far as I can tell.
Zoos these gorillas lived at (but didn't die at)
*Timmy spent 25 years at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and around 20 years at the Bronx Zoo before retiring to Louisville.
*Before moving to Zoo Atlanta, Ivan famously spent many years in a small cage in a shopping mall. So you likely can't attribute his excellent longevity to spectacular care earlier in life.
*Ozoum, Choomba, and Shamba at Atlanta all spent at least 20 years at the Yerkes Primate Center before moving to Atlanta.
*Lamydoc spent 13 years in Pittsburgh
* Ramses and Amani spent roughly 20 years at the Cincinnati Zoo
* Trudy from Little Rock spent over 20 years at the St. Louis Zoo
* Gorgeous from Hogle Zoo lived at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for 30+ years
What did the longest-lived gorillas die of?
* Most died of vaguely-defined complications of old age/quality of life, which is to be expected
* Demba, Timmy, Colo, and Samantha, died or were euthanized due to heart disease (Pongi could also be included here). This is probably the most common cause of death besides vague decline of health, but is actually less common than I expected among this population.
* Ivan and Pongi died under general anesthetic, which is also common
* While Ozoum's cause of death wasn't revealed (he was ill and not eating or drinking before death), he had survived COVID-19 several months before which may have weakened him as he was extremely elderly
* Katanga had cancer. Jenny had an inoperable stomach tumor
* Ramar at Brookfield was euthanized due to diminished bowel function/ blockage
* Massa at Philadelphia Zoo died of a stroke.
* While Lamydoc was euthanized due to 'age-related' complications, these did include both heart disease and symptoms of dementia (which I didn't know was a thing for gorillas)
*Of the living elderly gorillas, Winston at San Diego Safari Park is known to have heart disease.
Does anyone else have any thoughts or reflections or patterns they'd like to share?
Zoo Atlanta (4)
Ozoum/ Ozzie (1.0, 61, died in 2022)
Choomba (0.1, 59, died in 2022)
Shamba (0.1, 58, died in 2017)
Ivan (1.0, 50, died in 2012)
Louisville Zoo (3)
Helen (0.1, 64, died in 2022)
Timmy (1.0, 52, died in 2011)
Demba (0.1, 50, died in 2021)
Columbus Zoo (2)
Colo (0.1, 60, died 2017)
Pongi (0.1, 51, died 2014)* (I've also seen her listed as 49 years old elsewhere)
Gladys Porter Zoo (2)
Lamydoc (1.0, 60, died 2022)
Katanga (0.1, 52, died 2015)
Woodland Park Zoo (2)
Pete (1.0, 51, died 2018)
Amanda (0.1, 50, died 2020)
San Diego Safari Park (2)
Winston (1.0, 52, still alive)
Vila (0,1, 61, died in 2018)
Fort Worth Zoo* (2*)
Note: Only Ramses was included on the list online, which was updated last month, but I've found other sources saying Amani is 50 years old.
Ramses I (52, still alive)
Amani (50, still alive)
Zoos With One Long-Lived Gorilla (8)
Brookfield Zoo (1.0)
Cincinnati Zoo (0.1)
Dallas Zoo (0.1)
Hogle Zoo (0.1)
Little Rock Zoo (0.1)
Oklahoma City Zoo (0.1)
Pittsburgh Zoo (0.1)
Philadelphia Zoo (1.0)
Zoos currently exhibiting gorillas with zero animals to live over 50 (30)
ABQ BIoPark
Audubon Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Buffalo Zoo
Busch Gardens Tampa
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Como Park Zoo
Denver Zoo
Detroit Zoo
Disney's Animal Kingdom (listed as having a 52-year-old gorilla, but it sounds like she died in 2017 and the zoo didn't announce it)
Franklin Park Zoo (listed as having a 50-year-old, but I believe that Gigi was mixed up with a different Gigi from Germany)
Houston Zoo (they do currently have a 49-year-old gorilla, I believe! Hopefully soon to join the list!)
Jacksonville Zoo
Kansas City Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Los Angeles Zoo
Memphis Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
North Carolina Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Riverbanks Zoo
St. Louis Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
Santa Barbara Zoo
Sedgwick County Zoo
Smithsonian's National Zoo
Toledo Zoo
Zoo Knoxville
Zoo Miami
I find it interesting to note that out of 15 zoos that have had a gorilla live to over 50, 7 of them (nearly half) have been home to more than one. With so many excellent zoos never housing a gorilla who lived to over age 50, these clumps of elderly gorillas really stand out. Zoo Atlanta and Louisville seem particularly noteworthy for their animals' longevity.
Fort Worth is also the only zoo on the list to CURRENTLY house multiple gorillas over 50. The San Diego Safari Park also houses one living elderly gorilla, having held a previous one in the past.
Why do we think some of these zoos have multiple gorillas who live so long? Is it genetics of related gorillas? Does it have to do with how/where they spent their younger years? Is it purely standard of care? What kinds of medical conditions did these gorillas live with? (I know heart disease is a VERY common cause of death for great apes and that primate biscuits can contribute to it.) Did living with other elderly gorillas help them thrive? Here are a few things I've discovered, but I'd also love to hear your thoughts.
General notes
* Most of the gorillas who've lived over age 50 who lived in the same zoo as one another passed away within the last 5 years. With so many more gorillas living into their 50's now than in the past, this may indicate a higher general standard of care.
* Of the zoos with multiple older gorillas, 9 were 0.1 and 6 were 1.0. Of the zoos with single gorillas, 8 were 0.1 and only 2 were 1.0.
* All 4 of Zoo Atlanta's elderly gorillas were wild-born. Of the rest, 14 were wild, 6 captive, and I can't find anything on Pete at Woodland Park.
Are any of these gorillas related?
* Ramses I at the Fort Worth Zoo and Samantha at Cincinnati Zoo were siblings, and their sister Gigi lived to be 47 (though she was erroneously listed as being 50 elsewhere). This does seem potentially significant to me. None of the others seem to be related, as far as I can tell.
Zoos these gorillas lived at (but didn't die at)
*Timmy spent 25 years at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and around 20 years at the Bronx Zoo before retiring to Louisville.
*Before moving to Zoo Atlanta, Ivan famously spent many years in a small cage in a shopping mall. So you likely can't attribute his excellent longevity to spectacular care earlier in life.
*Ozoum, Choomba, and Shamba at Atlanta all spent at least 20 years at the Yerkes Primate Center before moving to Atlanta.
*Lamydoc spent 13 years in Pittsburgh
* Ramses and Amani spent roughly 20 years at the Cincinnati Zoo
* Trudy from Little Rock spent over 20 years at the St. Louis Zoo
* Gorgeous from Hogle Zoo lived at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for 30+ years
What did the longest-lived gorillas die of?
* Most died of vaguely-defined complications of old age/quality of life, which is to be expected
* Demba, Timmy, Colo, and Samantha, died or were euthanized due to heart disease (Pongi could also be included here). This is probably the most common cause of death besides vague decline of health, but is actually less common than I expected among this population.
* Ivan and Pongi died under general anesthetic, which is also common
* While Ozoum's cause of death wasn't revealed (he was ill and not eating or drinking before death), he had survived COVID-19 several months before which may have weakened him as he was extremely elderly
* Katanga had cancer. Jenny had an inoperable stomach tumor
* Ramar at Brookfield was euthanized due to diminished bowel function/ blockage
* Massa at Philadelphia Zoo died of a stroke.
* While Lamydoc was euthanized due to 'age-related' complications, these did include both heart disease and symptoms of dementia (which I didn't know was a thing for gorillas)
*Of the living elderly gorillas, Winston at San Diego Safari Park is known to have heart disease.
Does anyone else have any thoughts or reflections or patterns they'd like to share?
