World’s oldest female chimpanzee called Susie turns 70 in Kansas Zoo… and is on track to be the oldest ever member of her species
a Kansas On June 6, the zoo will celebrate the 70th birthday of the oldest female chimpanzee in captivity.
Manhattan’s Sunset Zoo is throwing a party today to celebrate its chimpanzee habitat Susie‘s 70th birthday.
‘Susie has always been a perfect caregiver. From being a great mother to being the leader of the troop, respecting her other troop mates and listening to our troop grandma,” said Sunset Zoo Director Scott Shoemaker. KSNT.
Susie is the second oldest chimpanzee behind her Yoao – a male primate living at the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa.
However, she is eleven years older than the oldest female chimpanzee in Europe, Coconut.
The Sunset Zoo in Manhattan Kansas is celebrating the 70th birthday of Susie the chimpanzee
Susie has lived at the Sunset Zoo since 1974 and is currently the oldest living female primate in the world
Susie has lived at the Sunset Zoo since 1974 and is one of five primates living in the site’s habitat.
She has given birth to three chimpanzees in her lifetime and made headlines in August 2010 after giving birth to a baby girl named Nia at the age of 56.
“We took Susie off birth control a few years ago due to health concerns, and we didn’t think she would get pregnant because of her age,” former Sunset Zoo curator Mark Ryan said at the time.
“Interestingly, we didn’t see Susie going through any kind of menopause, and her periods were so irregular that we didn’t think a pregnancy was on the horizon.”
Nia is no longer at the zoo, but Susie’s partner, Julian, still lives in the chimpanzee habitat at Sunset Zoo.
Susie successfully breastfed Nia despite having a cataract in her eye in 2010, but she now receives special care from zookeepers.
“Susie is receiving additional supplements such as Ensure Drinks and is being treated for arthritis, but for her age she is remarkable,” Sunset Zoo animal curator Kirk Nemechek told KSNT.
Shoemaker has spoken WIBW last year and revealed that guests who visit Susie can watch her move around the garden or play with a blanket.
The Sunset Zoo is hosting a sunflower birthday for Suzie today in the chimpanzee habitat for all its guests
Susie has given birth three times in her life, the last being in 2010 with her partner Julian. Her baby was named Nia, and Julian and Susie still live together in the habitat
Susie has been surprising the zookeepers at Sunset Zoo for years, including her current age and how old she was when she gave birth to Nia.
The 70-year-old primate exceeded the average lifespan of a chimpanzee in the wild, which according to… study.comis about 40 years old.
She also exceeded the lifespan of a chimpanzee in captivity, which according to the Chimpanzee sanctuary Northwest is between 50 and 60 years.
It’s unclear if Susie has developed any other health issues since giving birth to Nia, but she continues to feel comfortable in the Sunset Zoo sanctuary.
Daily Mail has contacted the Sunset Zoo for comment.
