On December 22, 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo entered the
world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever
gorilla born in captivity.

Before Colo’s birth, gorillas found at zoos were caught in the
wild, often by brutal means. In order to capture a gorilla when
it was young and therefore still small enough to handle,
hunters frequently had to kill the gorilla’s parents and other
family members.  

Colo was fond of baseball caps.

Colo on her 60^th birthday, surpassed the median life expectancy for female gorillas in human care (37.5 years) by more than two
decades.

Colo became a mother of three, grandmother of 16, great-
grandmother of 12 and great-great-grandmother of three.

She died in her sleep January 17, 2017, less than a month
after her birthday.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Neka, the oldest member of the
Oregon Zoo’s African lion pride, had a seizure and 
died Friday night at age 16.

Zoo officials stated that wild female lions rarely live
past 16  years old.

Neka with one of her cubs.

(Fox News) – The Louisville Zoo in Louisville, Kentucky,
announced it made the tough decision to euthanize Helen
on Friday, Oct. 14,  because her quality of life declined for
several months due to natural aging.

The zoo said Helen had been in "remarkably good health
for most of her life" despite being diagnosed with "expected
age-related arthritis and some periodontal disease.”

According to the media release, In recent months, Helen
developed instability and tremors that put her at fall risk
and impacted her day-to-day life. 

Female zoo gorillas typically have a median life expectancy
of about 39 years.

Helen’s estimated birth year is 1958, and she was born in the
wilderness of Western Africa, which is now modern-day
Cameroon.

Leah the chimpanzee (May 15, 1974 – April 4, 2022) 

Zoo officials said, in an announcement made Monday, the
chimpanzee died in her sleep Sunday night. 

She is survived by her big sister Delilah, who turns 49 next
month, 50-year-old male Jackson and 53-year-old troop leader
Chloe.

.

Colo died January 2017 at age 60 in the zoo where she was so
famously born. (Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)

On December 22, 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo entered the world at the
Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in captivity. She
Weighed in at approximately 4 pounds, Colo, a western lowland gorilla
whose name was a combination of Columbus and Ohio, was the daughter
of Millie and Mac, two gorillas captured in French Cameroon, Africa, who
were brought to the Columbus Zoo in 1951. Before Colo’s birth, gorillas
found at zoos were caught in the wild, often by brutal means. In order to
capture a gorilla when it was young and therefore still small enough to
handle, hunters frequently had to kill the gorilla’s parents and other family members.

Colo, who generated enormous public interest, went on to become a mother, grandmother, and in 1996, a great-grandmother to Timu, the first surviving
infant gorilla conceived by artificial insemination. Timu gave birth to her first
baby in 2003.