Anna Caplan
Sumatran orangutans only live about 25 years in the wild.
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Toba the orangutan has doubled that lifespan, thanks to the ape’s residence at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden.
The zoo threw the animal a party to celebrate her milestone birthday, offering guests all of Toba’s favorite fruity foods: lychee, durian and jackfruit. She got chunks of frozen cherry Powerade, her favorite, in lieu of a birthday cake.
But Toba herself seemed unimpressed by turning 50, preferring to drape herself in a green and red shawl while wandering around her enclosure.
“She likes to hide under things,” assistant primate curator Robin Newby said. “Whether it’s huge boxes, T-shirts or paper bags. She also uses them to bulk up her nest.”
The zoo hopes the quirky creature, who was born in Berlin in 1967 and came to Oklahoma in 1975, will have many more celebrations. One thing’s for sure: she’s still alert as can be.
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“She likes to watch us do things,” Newby said. “We joke around that she is supervising us. She’s interested in what we’re doing.”
