Another year, another epic birthday for Colo, the oldest known gorilla on Earth.

Colo, the world's oldest gorilla, is a great-great-grandma at the Columbus Zoo.

 Robbie Couch
12.22.15

Today, Colo — the oldest living gorilla in captivity — turns 59 years old!

In Ohio, where Colo lives at the Columbus Zoo, they're celebrating in style.

A photo from this party animal's 58th birthday last year. Photo courtesy of Grahm S. Jones, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; used with permission.

"It's not yet the big 6-0," Audra Meinelt, an assistant curator at the zoo, said in a press release provided to Upworthy. "But it's the big 5-9."

59 years old may not seem that outrageous. But for gorillas? It's a big deal.

Seeing as the average female gorilla lives about 37 years, Colo's matriarchal status as the "queen of the Columbus Zoo" is seriously deserved.

Colo isn't new to this whole "making headlines" thing, either. She's been a celebrity in her own right for decades.

Long before Colo first began setting records for her old age in 2012, Colo made news for being the very first gorilla to be born in human care. That was way back in 1956.

Check out the video evidence below.

All GIFs via the ColumbusZooMedia/YouTube.

Seeing as she was the first gorilla to be born in a zoo, mistakes were made while raising her. They'd separated her from her mother out of fear that her mother would harm her, for example.

"Everyone was terrified to give her back to her mom," veterinarian Dr. Richard Vesper told The Columbus Dispatch. "Their fears overwhelmed their scientific rationale, and they wouldn’t take the risk. They made decisions at the gut level.”

But much was learned about the species and its protection because of Colo and her long, long bloodline. She's the great-grandmother of Timu, the first surviving baby gorilla conceived through artificial insemination.

And, by the way, since Timu gave birth to her first little one in 2003, Colo is a great-great-grandmother.

Clearly, Colo's big day is a big deal. So the zoo celebrated with cake, special surprises, and lots of colorful construction paper chains.

And the whole world was invited.

Photo, taken at Colo's 58th birthday party, courtesy of Grahm S. Jones, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; used with permission.

Partygoers dropped in between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2015, to celebrate with Colo, who snacked on treats of clementines and tomatoes and opened presents. Rumor has it there were also some specially made cupcakes for her and her gorilla friends.

Even cooler, those of us who couldn't be in Columbus got to watch the party online. (Last year, 4,000 people from 31 countries did just that to ring in Colo's 58th year.)

As far as her health? Colo's in great shape.

There's no reason to think there won't be a 60th birthday coming next holiday season.

Photo taken at Colo's 58th birthday party, courtesy of Grahm S. Jones, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; used with permission.

“She is amazing because she is the oldest gorilla in a zoo and doesn’t have significant health problems,” Meinelt said. “Her biggest ailment is arthritis. She hasn’t had any noticeable health changes in the last year. Her health has been fantastic.”

Cheers to another year well-lived, Queen.

Check out this incredible video that was produced by the Columbus Zoo in recognition of Colo's 57th birthday a couple years ago:

gorilla gorillas zoos columbus ohio oldest gorilla colo
Most Shared

Oprah's social experiment on audience members puts racism in a new light

On an old episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in July 1992, Oprah put her audience through a social experiment that puts racism in a new light. Despite being nearly two decades old, it's as relevant today as ever.

She split the audience members into two groups based on their eye color. Those with brown eyes were given preferential treatment by getting to cut the line and given refreshments while they waited to be seated. Those with blue eyes were made to put on a green collar and wait in a crowd for two hours.

Staff were instructed to be extra polite to brown-eyed people and to discriminate against blue-eyed people. Her guest for that day's show was diversity expert Jane Elliott, who helped set up the experiment and played along, explaining that brown-eyed people were smarter than blue-eyed people.

Watch the video to see how this experiment plays out.

Oprah's Social Experiment on Her Audience www.youtube.com

oprah diversity racism social experiment
Culture

Cadbury removed the words from its wrappers to bring attention to a seldom-discussed issue

The candy giant said it "donated" the words.

via Cadbury

Cadbury has removed the words from its Dairy Milk chocolate bars in the U.K. to draw attention to a serious issue, senior loneliness.

On September 4, Cadbury released the limited-edition candy bars in supermarkets and for every one sold, the candy giant will donate 30p (37 cents) to Age UK, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the elderly.

Cadbury was prompted to help the organization after it was revealed that 225,000 elderly people in the UK often go an entire week without speaking to another person.

Keep Reading Show less
elderly lonliness lonely seniors cadbury dairy milk age uk AARP cadbury removes words from wrappers
Well Being
Walgreens
Walgreens

Teachers seek outside support to tackle today’s challenges in the classroom

Young people today are facing what seems to be greater exposure to complex issues like mental health, bullying, and youth violence. As a result, teachers are required to be well-versed in far more than school curriculum to ensure students are prepared to face the world inside and outside of the classroom. Acting as more than teachers, but also mentors, counselors, and cheerleaders, they must be equipped with practical and relevant resources to help their students navigate some of the more complicated social issues – though access to such tools isn't always guaranteed.

Take Dr. Jackie Sanderlin, for example, who's worked in the education system for over 25 years, and as a teacher for seven. Entering the profession, she didn't anticipate how much influence a student's home life could affect her classroom, including "students who lived in foster homes" and "lacked parental support."

Dr. Jackie Sanderlin, who's worked in the education system for over 25 years.

Valerie Anglemyer, a middle school teacher with more than 13 years of experience, says it can be difficult to create engaging course work that's applicable to the challenges students face. "I think that sometimes, teachers don't know where to begin. Teachers are always looking for ways to make learning in their classrooms more relevant."

So what resources do teachers turn to in an increasingly fractured world? "Joining a professional learning network that supports and challenges thinking is one of the most impactful things that a teacher can do to support their own learning," Anglemyer says.

Valerie Anglemyer, a middle school teacher with more than 13 years of experience.

A new program for teachers that offers this network along with other resources is the WE Teachers Program, an initiative developed by Walgreens in partnership with ME to WE and Mental Health America. WE Teachers provides tools and resources, at no cost to teachers, looking for guidance around the social issues related to poverty, youth violence, mental health, bullying, and diversity and inclusion. Through online modules and trainings as well as a digital community, these resources help them address the critical issues their students face.

Jessica Mauritzen, a high school Spanish teacher, credits a network of support for providing her with new opportunities to enrich the learning experience for her students. "This past year was a year of awakening for me and through support… I realized that I was able to teach in a way that built up our community, our school, and our students, and supported them to become young leaders," she says.

With the new WE Teachers program, teachers can learn to identify the tough issues affecting their students, secure the tools needed to address them in a supportive manner, and help students become more socially-conscious, compassionate, and engaged citizens.

It's a potentially life-saving experience for students, and in turn, "a great gift for teachers," says Dr. Sanderlin.

"I wish I had the WE Teachers program when I was a teacher because it provides the online training and resources teachers need to begin to grapple with these critical social issues that plague our students every day," she adds.

In addition to the WE Teachers curriculum, the program features a WE Teachers Award to honor educators who go above and beyond in their classrooms. At least 500 teachers will be recognized and each will receive a $500 Walgreens gift card, which is the average amount teachers spend out-of-pocket on supplies annually. Teachers can be nominated or apply themselves. To learn more about the awards and how to nominate an amazing teacher, or sign up for access to the teacher resources available through WE Teachers, visit walgreens.com/metowe.

WE Teachers
True
Walgreens

Fed up news anchor has the best response to a man who told her to dress ‘like a normal woman’

Women shouldn't have to dress for the male gaze.

via KGW-TV / YouTube

One of the major differences between women and men is that women are often judged based on their looks rather than their character or abilities.

"Men as well as women tend to establish the worth of individual women primarily by the way their body looks, research shows. We do not do this when we evaluate men," Naomi Ellemers Ph.D. wrote in Psychology Today.

Dr. Ellers believes that this tendency to judge a woman solely on her looks causes them to be seen as an object rather than a person.

Keep Reading Show less
Culture