NEWSBRIEFS: Gorilla Turns 55; Iguanas, Sea Lions Killed

May 9, 2008

SECAUCUS, N.J. – Below is a look at some noteworthy stories from the animal kingdom this week.

WORLD’S OLDEST GORILLA TURNS 55. What does a gorilla get to celebrate her 55th birthday? The wisecrack answer would be, “Anything she wants.”

Actually, Jenny, the world’s oldest gorilla, celebrated her big day with a four-layer frozen fruit cake and banana leaf wrapped treats at her wooded home in the Dallas Zoo.

“It’s a special milestone for us,” said Todd Bowsher, one of the zoo’s curators. “It signifies that we’ve made great strides in veterinary care, nutrition and animal husbandry.”

Gorillas in the wild normally live to age 30 or 35, according to Kristen Lukas, a curator at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio.

RARE IGUANAS VIOLENTLY KILLED. Among the most imperiled creatures on earth, a half-dozen giant blue iguanas were found scattered across a breeding park in the Cayman Islands, after apparently being stomped and gouged, according to officials in the British dependency.

“It’s ugly and deeply shocking,” said Fred Burton, director of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program, which has brought the rare reptiles back from the brink of extinction.

SEA LIONS SHOT DEAD. Six sea lions were shot and killed by a gunman last weekend as they lay in traps meant to humanely catch them.

The federally protected sea creatures appear to have been shot by somebody on the Washington side of the Bonneville Dam, according to Brian Gorman, spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Tell us what you think about “NEWSBRIEFS: Gorilla Turns 55; Iguanas, Sea Lions Killed” below. Share your favorite videos by clicking on the ZootooTV tab. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at news@zootoo.com or by calling us at 877-777-4204.