An Orangutan named Bess at Phoenix Zoo has hit a milestone birthday, and the zoo caretakers wanted to make sure she felt loved and celebrated.
To mark her 45th birthday, the zoo's care team treated her to an "old Hollwyood-themed" treat. Take a look!
View the original article to see embedded media.
On March 26, the Phoenix Zoo posted a video to Instagram showing the celebration to ring in Bess's 45th birthday.
Related: Orangutan at the Indianapolis Zoo Celebrates His 46th Birthday With a Very Interesting Cake
The video caption reads, "She's a star," and it adds a video camera and star emoji.
In the video, we see an old clapboard filled out with all the details for Bess's birthday. It's titled "The Amazing 'Bess'," and the scene is listed as "Reaching for the Stars." The video notes that she's now 45 years old.
Some of her favorite treats, like green peppers, were attached to the clapboard.
The video caption continues, " Bornean Orangutan Bess celebrated her 45th birthday today in style. "She received old Hollywood-themed behavioral enrichment, birthday bags filled with her regular diet, cupcakes, and a delicious ice treat.
The video shows her playing with a box made to look like a movie camera added to her enclosure and eating a great that looks like an Academy Award, all on the theme for her "old Hollywood" vibes.
In the comments section, people were happy to shower Bess with best wishes, happy birthdays, and lots of love.
"It was so nice to see how caring the staff and volunteers are!" one viewer wrote.
"Best star ever!" someone else wrote. "Love you, birthday girl!"
"Happy birthday, Bess," another shared.
"I didn't realize she's five months older than me," another fan wrote. "Happy Birthday, Bess!"
Bornean Orangutans Are a 'Critically Endangered' Species
Bornean orangutans, like Bess, are "critically endangered" with worrying levels of population decline, according to The International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ).
The IUCN notes that "the two major reasons why most Bornean Orangutan populations are in sharp decline are destruction, degradation, and fragmentation of their habitats and hunting."
In addition, they note that forest fires in the area have been responsible for a sharp population decline.
"Bornean Orangutans decreased by more than 60% between 1950 and 2010," they explain, "and a further 22% decline is projected to occur between 2010 and 2025."
The organization notes that the population has been reduced by more than 82% in the past 75 years, and it doesn't have an accurate estimate of the number left in the wild.
"The future of Bornean Orangutans will very much depend on the long-term security of large, strictly-protected forests where illegal logging and hunting will be efficiently controlled and the orangutan populations large enough to cope with catastrophic events such as fires and disease outbreaks," the IUCN notes.
Zoos are an integral part of conservation for many endangered animals, including Bornean Orangutans, and they deserve to be protected and loved, like Bess.
Most Popular
Comments / 0