split image of Bella the orangutan eating cake

Bella, the world’s oldest living orangutan, recently celebrated her 63rd birthday! 🥳

Estimated to have been born in 1961, Bella the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) lives a healthy, happy life at Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany.

She was given a birthday cake made of soft-boiled rice and various fruits, which she shared with Berani, one of her adopted kids! 🎂

Bella eating birthday cake

🔎 But how long do orangutans usually live?

Well, the typical lifespan of a wild orangutan is 35-40 years, increasing to around 50 years when in a protected environment like a zoo.

Bella became the oldest living orangutan in 2021!

And what is she like?

According to her zookeepers she is honest, prudent, curious, intelligent, loving and never aggressive. ❤️

Bella in 2015

She has 6 kids of her own and has also adopted 4 more children who were not accepted by their mothers, earning her the nickname “supermom”. 🤰🏽

Now that she has very few teeth remaining, Bella's favourite foods are semolina porridge, soft fruit and vegetables. 🍓🥦

What's your favourite food?

Bella in 2021

Bella is not the only old ape living in Germany to have celebrated a birthday recently; the world’s oldest living gorilla, Fatou, turned 67 years old in April! 🎉

Fatou lives at the Berlin Zoo, and she's also happy and healthy.

Hey, what if they became friends and celebrated their next birthday together?! 🥹

Did you like this story? Then stop monkeying around and take this ape-solutely amazing MONKEYS & APES QUIZ about our primate cousins! 🦍🐵