Zoo to fete 58th birthday of gorilla Helen
The Louisville Zoo plans a party Saturday to celebrate the 58th birthday of gorilla Helen, who is believed to be the fourth-oldest female gorilla in the North American zoo population.
The public is invited to the festivities, including singing “Happy Birthday” at 11 a.m. at Gorilla Forest. Heitzman Traditional Bakery and Deli will provide a fruit cake for Helen’s birthday celebration.
The oldest zoo gorilla, at age 59, is Colo in Columbus, Ohio, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the accrediting body for zoos in North America. Colo was born at a zoo, so her age is certain. Helen and two other gorillas believed to be about the same age were all wild born, and their dates of birth are estimated.
The oldest male in the North American population is 55 year-old Ozoum at Zoo Atlanta. The median age for gorillas in managed systems is 38.3 years.
In Louisville, Helen and 45 year-old Demba share space and rotate on exhibit with the other eight gorillas in the Gorilla Forest.
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The Louisville Zoo has also announced that it will mark the fifth birthday of polar bear Qannik in the Glacier Run exhibit on Jan. 9, also in a ceremony at 11 a.m. The celebration for the polar bear will include, also from Heitzman, a peanut butter-iced cake. Festivities, including singing “Happy Birthday,” will begin at 11 a.m. at Glacier Run.
Zoo spokeswoman Kyle Shepherd said it has been five years "since we became stewards of our wild-born polar bear Qannik. What a great five years it has been."
She noted that Qannik made national headlines when she was found on Alaska’s North Slope in 2011, separated from her mother and sibling. After several days of monitoring her in hopes that she would reunite with the other bears, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moved into a rescue operation.
She has been at the local zoo since June 2011.
Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.