PORTLAND, Ore. – We could all take longevity lessons from a few Oregon Zoo animals.
Six of the zoo's residents are some of the oldest of their kind on the planet, according to Oregon Zoo spokesman Hova Najarian.
Zoo favorite Packy, the 53-year-old Asian elephant, is not just the oldest Asian elephant in North America – he's also the tallest, at 10 and a half feet.
"His toughness always impresses me," said Bob Lee, who oversees the elephant program. "Sometimes it's easy to forget he's a geriatric elephant."
Hermosa, the 33-year-old Humboldt penguin, has eyesight problems and arthritis but keepers say she's feisty as ever. She's also a foster mom to chicks whose mothers are inexperienced.
While most polar bears live two decades, Conrad is 30 and staff says he's still very playful, active and engaged.
Amur Leopard, Kia, is the oldest of his kind in North America at 19. She's given birth to 10 cubs in her lifetime.
Sharing a name with the iconic Portland skyscraper, lesser flamingo Big Pink is nearing half a century on the planet. The 49-year-old bird came to the Oregon Zoo in 2013 and staff say he's nearly as old as another iconic item – the plastic lawn flamingo (invented in 1957).
The oldest of the bunch is Inji, the 55-year-old Sumatran orangutan. Inji was brought to the U.S. through the now-illegal pet trade and donated to the zoo by her owner in 1961. Sumatran orangutans are nearing extinction due to human encroachment, pet trade and habitat loss from palm oil plantations, Najarian said.
Miraculously, the only medication Inji takes is aspirin.
"Zoo veterinarians and keeper staff work together, developing innovative ways to make sure the animals in their care have a great quality of life throughout their golden years," Najarian said. "Many of the zoo's residents live far beyond the median life expectancy for their species."
