Zoo's Senior Chimps Celebrate Milestone Birthdays With 750-Pound Ice 'Cakes'

The oldest male chimpanzee in an accredited zoo and his troop mate celebrated their birthdays at Lincoln Park Zoo last week with 750-pound ice cakes.

Keo, now 55, and his Vicky, 50, rang in their special days on Thursday with birthday "cakes", zoo officials said. Courtesy of Nadeau Ice Sculptures, the 750-pound ice cakes were packed with nutritious treats including carrots, kale, and strawberries.

The mood was festive, zoo staff said, and the real excitement came, "when one of the cakes was toppled to reveal the bounty within."

Vicky and her 33-year-old daughter, Kibali, used sticks found in their yard to break into the cake and target their favorite goodies.

“These significant birthdays are testaments to the advances in geriatric care at zoos and aquariums,” the zoo's curator of primates, Maureen Leahy, said in a news release. “We are able to provide seniors like Keo and Vicky with the lifetime care they need and deserve. And judging by today, their golden years here in Chicago are going pretty well."

The median life expectancy for a male chimpanzee is 31.7 years. That for a female is 38.7 years. If Keo and Vicky’s ages were to be converted to human years, both animals would be in their 90s, zoo officials said.

Both chimpanzees celebrated on the same day, although the exact days they were born are unknown. Both chimps were born in Africa and have lived at Lincoln Park Zoo for most of their lives.