Jenny (c. 1953 - September 4, 2008) was a
western lowland gorilla
The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
who resided at the
Dallas Zoo
Dallas Zoo aka Dallas Zoological Park is a zoo located south of downtown Dallas, Texas, in Marsalis Park. Established in 1888, it is the oldest and largest zoological park in Texas and is managed by the non-profit Dallas Zoological Society. It ...
in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
. Jenny was the world's oldest gorilla in
captivity
Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
at the time of her death in 2008 at the age of 55.
[ ] Jenny was confirmed to be the oldest living gorilla in the world by
Species360
Species360 (formerly International Species Information System or ISIS) founded in 1974, is an international non-profit organization that maintains an online database of wild animals under human care. , the organization serves more than 1,000 zoo ...
earlier in 2008.
Jenny was born in the wild, so her exact date of birth is unknown.
[ She was acquired by the Dallas Zoo in 1957, where she lived for the rest of her life.][ Jenny gave birth to a daughter, Vicki, in 1965, but failed to conceive again.][ As a result, Jenny became part of an American study on the effects of ]menopause
Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...
on gorillas.[ Jenny's daughter, Vicki, was transferred to a zoo in ]Alberta, Canada
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to t ...
, when she was five years old.[
The Dallas Zoo celebrated Jenny's 55th birthday in May 2008 with a celebration and frozen fruit ]birthday cake
A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of a birthday celebration. Birthday cakes are often layer cakes with frosting served with small lit candles on top representing the celebrant's age. Variations include cupcakes, cake pops, pastries, and ...
.[ However, Jenny was diagnosed with an inoperable ]stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...
tumor
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
during the last few weeks of her life.[ She had stopped eating and drinking.][ Jenny was euthanized as a "quality-of-life decision"][ at the Dallas Zoo on September 4, 2008, at the age of 55.][
Colo, a gorilla who was kept at the ]Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Sciot ...
and was the first gorilla ever born in captivity,[ succeeded Jenny as the world's oldest known gorilla.][ Colo died January 17, 2017, at the age of 60.
A gorilla's normal ]life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
in the wild is approximately 30 to 35 years.[
]
See also
* List of individual apes
This is a list of non-human apes of encyclopedic interest. It includes individual chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and gibbons that are in some way famous or notable.
Actors
* Bam Bam, an orangutan, played Precious (Passions), Preciou ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenny (gorilla)
2008 animal deaths
Individual gorillas
1953 animal births
Individual animals in the United States