Helen

Helen (born 1958) is a western lowland gorilla who currently resides at Louisville Zoo, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. She is currently the second oldest known gorilla in the world after Fatou. She became the second oldest known gorilla on the 24th July 2019, following the death of Trudy. She was born in Africa in the wild in 1958 and, at some point before 1971, was acquired by Lincoln Park Zoo. She has three children, Benga (1971-2005), Jorayk (born 1977) and Matadi (born 1982), sixteen grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren eleven great-grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild. She remained at Lincoln Park Zoo for over thirty years, before transferring to Louisville Zoo in 2002, along all other gorillas from Lincoln Park Zoo, as Lincoln Park Zoo had demolished their ape house in order to construct a new one. The new ape house was completed in 2004 and most of the Lincoln Park Zoo gorillas returned, however Helen, Debbie and Frank remained at Louisville Zoo, as due to their old age, zoo officials did not want to move them. Debbie died in 2003 and Frank died in 2008, leaving Helen as the last of Lincoln Park's founder gorillas. Helen lived with Demba, for 15 years, from 2006, until Demba’s death in 2021 aged 50. She celebrated her 60th birthday on the 4th January 2018. On the 14th January 2020 a joint birthday party was held for Helen's 62nd birthday, an elephant’s birthday and Qannik’s (a polar bear) 9th birthday. Another joint celebration was held on the 22nd January 2022, for Helen’s 64th birthday and Qannik’s 11th birthday.