Rescheduled to Jan. 25 due to weather.

The Louisville Zoo will kick off the new year on Saturday, January 25 with THREE very special animal birthdays. Gather round and sing “Happy Birthday” as we celebrate gorilla Helen’s 62nd birthday, Asian elephant Punch’s 50th and finally Qannik’s 9th birthday. 

10:30 a.m., Gorilla Forest: Helen’s 62nd birthday

Head down to Gorilla Forest and wish gorilla Helen a happy 62nd birthday! This is an important birthday in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the accrediting body for zoos in North America. Helen is the second oldest known gorilla in the world and the oldest in the North American population. Helen was wild born so her birth date is estimated. The median age for Gorillas in managed systems is 38. In the remnant wild the average age is 35. Helen is in a gorilla group with 49-year-old Demba and is Kindi’s great-great-grandmother.

11 a.m., Elephant Exhibit: Punch’s 50th Birthday

Asian elephant Punch celebrates her big 50! Asian elephant Punch arrived at the Louisville Zoo on November 28, 1973 at approximately three years of age from Southwicks Zoo, MA.  Punch was wild born so her exact birth date is estimated. She enjoys playing with her boomer ball and eating squash.

11:30 a.m., Glacier Run: Qannik’s 9th birthday

Watch as Qannik celebrates her 9th birthday with special birthday enrichment items. Qannik was rescued from the wild after being found on Alaska’s North Slope in 2011, separated from her mother and sibling. She is a great ambassador for her species and arctic conservation. Her exact birth date is unknown but officials from the USFWS assigned Jan. 10 as her birthday. Each year the Zoo celebrates on a Saturday in January.

Click HERE to learn more about Qannik’s rescue, “Operation Snowflake”