hasani's great grandma turns 53!

colo, a female gorilla at the columbus zoo will celebrate her 53rd! birthday next tuesday december 22nd. i read about her (for the first time) yesterday in an article that i found via a twitter post by, zoo and aquarium visitor, one of the animal organizations i follow. i shared it with some friends as i thought it was special that she was not only reaching this great ape age, but that she was the oldest living gorilla in a zoo and the first western lowland gorilla in the world born in a zoo! she is quite the icon! turns out one of my friends has not only met colo, but told me that she was our own zura's grandmother! this news was very interesting to me, as when i was reading the article i wondered where her other grandkids were. was it just my curiosity about zoo friends relatives? i usually only pursue that info on sfzoo friends, so why did i have this thought? must have just been a psychic notion that there was a familial connection to one of ours! it turns out that zura and jonesy (half sibs) are both the children of colo's son oscar, making colo, hasani's great grandma! ... happy birthday colo and many more! ... article below or view at http://ow.ly/169V8l

World's First Zoo Born Gorilla, Colo, Celebrating 53rd Birthday at Columbus Zoo

Tue, 12/15/2009 - 10:39 AM

By Jennifer M. Wilson

Columbus, OH - Colo, the world’s first western lowland gorilla born in a Zoo, not to mention oldest gorilla living in a Zoo, will celebrate her 53rd birthday at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Tuesday, December 22.

The public is invited to attend the festivities which begin at 1 p.m. at the indoor gorilla habitat located in the Zoo’s African Forest region. Keepers will be giving Colo a birthday cake in addition to special treats for her and her gorilla family.

Colo has resided at the Columbus Zoo since her landmark birth on December 22, 1956. Weighing a mere three pounds and five ounces at birth, she became an instant celebrity. Her name came from a national “Name the Baby Gorilla” contest. The winning name, which is short for Columbus, Ohio, was chosen from over 7,500 entries. “Having been at the Columbus Zoo her whole life Colo has also earned a few nicknames,” said Dale Schmidt, Director of the Columbus Zoo. “The keeper staff often call her ‘Boss’, ‘Grandma’ and ‘Granny Pants’.”

Since her birth, Colo continues to be a local, national and worldwide celebrity. In the late 60’s and early 70’s Colo gave birth to three children and now her family tree includes 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. While one daughter, two grandchildren and one great grandchild reside at the Columbus Zoo many of Colo’s offspring can be found in zoos across the country.

Today, Colo endures arthritis but she is still charming guests of all ages. Please join the Zoo in wishing her a happy birthday!

end of article * * * * *

there is also a pbs documentary on colo and one of her great grandkids, who like hasani was raised using a surrogate. read about it at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/snowflake-the-white-gorilla/colo-and-dotty/276/

here's a great link to a video from her bday bash! thankx joanne! http://www2.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/famous_columbus_gorilla_celebrates_53rd_birthday/28691/ , its a beautiful thing! what a special gal she is. it brought tears, just watching her and knowing her legacy now and just how much they love her there. wonderful! she had a great looking cupcake too!