ATLANTA — Fathers everywhere were celebrated on Sunday for their impact on young lives - and at Zoo Atlanta, the party wasn't limited to humans.
The organization announced on Father's Day that Ozzie the western lowland gorilla was celebrating his birthday. The zoo said that not only is he the oldest living male gorilla - and oldest ever recorded - he's also a patriarch with 20 descendants. These include children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Ozzie and company celebrated with a multi-tiered ice "cake" filled with frozen fruits and, of course, topped with the number 60. To get an idea of how old that is for a gorilla, the zoo explained that apes are considered "geriatric" after age 40.
Ozzie's 60th Birthday at Zoo Atlanta
However, he also shares his habitat with gorillas who fit that description, females Choomba, 58, and Machi, 45. Another gorilla, Kuchi, 36, is just a few years away from joining the ranks of senior gorillas.
"Ozzie has made lasting contributions to the future of his species in his years at Zoo Atlanta," the organization said, adding that western lowland gorilla's now classified as critically endangered.
The 60 percent decline in populations of gorillas like Ozzie is attributed to poaching and illegal hunting as well as habitat loss and disease. Some parts of their range in western Africa have seen as much as 90 percent of their populations disappear.
