Happy 50th birthday!

Animal news | 29 August 2023

Today marked a proud anniversary for our female orangutan Djudi. Born to Ringo and Uschi at Dresden Zoo on 29 August 1973, she is now celebrating her 50th birthday. On her big day, Djudi was surprised by keeper Sylvia Pohle with a birthday cake made of polenta and curd cheese. She made short work of the grapes and blueberries topping the cake before licking the curd with relish.

Djudi has given birth to six babies in her long ape life, five of whom were reared successfully and four of whom were subsequently placed in other zoos. Djudi’s third baby, Daisy, born on 20 March 1991, still lives at Dresden Zoo. Now 32 years old herself, Daisy has already raised three offspring with male orangutan Toni. Dalai, the youngest of these still resident in Dresden, is now eight and is Djudi’s grandson.

Despite some signs of age, Djudi’s health is good. She is the second oldest orangutan at Dresden Zoo after 54-year-old Djaka. The grand age of both females is remarkable. In the wild, orangutans live for about 40 to 50 years. In zoos, they can grow much older due to the animal and veterinary care they receive.

Our warmest congratulations to Djudi ‒ we hope to share many more years with her.