Cleveland Zoo's super gorilla mama Freddy reaches exciting milestone!
Cleveland, Ohio - Baby gorilla Jameela's adoptive mom, Freddy, is a rock star. The zoo helped Freddy celebrate a big milestone on Wednesday: this amazing animal just turned 50!
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's amazing lowland gorilla, Fredrika – called Freddy by her keepers – turned 50 on Wednesday.
Her care team celebrated by giving Freddy lots of special enrichment, including multiple boxes for her and her adoptive babies to open.
The zoo shared a super sweet video of Freddy excitedly ripping open her gifts on Instagram, and followers loved how her adoptive toddler Kyembe couldn't resist playing with his mama's special treats.
This 50-year-old gorilla recently made headlines after she stepped up and took on another foster baby, the little gorilla Jameela from Fort Worth, Texas. Jameela's mother didn't display the necessary behavior after the baby came into the world through an emergency c-section, and the other females in the Fort Worth Troop didn't claim her.
Freddy, on the other hand, immediately scooped the little Jameela into her arms and held her close.
Freddy has helped foster multiple baby gorillas
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo calls Freddy their rock star for multiple reasons, but her maternal instincts have made her very special. This isn't the first time Freddy has taken on extra responsibility.
Three years ago, she started fostering baby Kyembe. Even more surprising, the then-47-year-old mother of seven gorillas started lactating again – 19 years after she stopped nursing her last baby. Her experience has made her the perfect mom for both Kyembe and Jameela!
Keepers call Freddy their legacy gorilla because she has nine grandchildren and has hit a milestone by turning 50.
Per the Smithsonian's National Zoo's website, gorillas live to 30 or 40 years in the wild, and in captivity, they can live into their 50s.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/Instagram/@clemetzoo