Guinness World Records is saddened to learn of the death of the Oldest Sumatran orangutan living, Puan.

Puan passed away on Sunday (17 June), having lived at Perth Zoo in Australia since 31 December 1968 when she was about 12 years old.

She celebrated her 62nd birthday in January this year – or rather her keepers did - Puan herself reportedly spent her big day avoiding the excitement by hiding under a sack!

Puan had 11 children and was a great-grandmother, having exceeded the usual orangutan life expectancy of 50 years.

She came to Perth Zoo from the private zoo of the Sultan of Johore in Malaysia in 1968. Although the zoo holds no record of Puan’s first years of life, she is believed to have been born in the wild in around 1956.

This date is based on statements of the Sultan of Johore to the Perth Zoo authorities at the time of her transfer and also on the fact that she was then presumably 10–12 years old, having reportedly already given birth to a baby.

In 2016 she become the oldest living Sumatran orangutan. 

"She has 54 descendants, 29 still living, and those descendants are spread across five European zoos, the in the United States, Singapore Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Perth Zoo, and of course, Sumatra," Perth Zoo keeper Martina Hart told The West Australian newspaper.

"Her genetics count for just under 10% of the global captive population."

"Puan taught me patience, she taught me that natural and wild instincts never disappear in captivity. She was in a zoo environment, but to the end she always maintained her independence. I feel so grateful to have been in her life, albeit to have been such a small part of her life. But to me she’ll always remain a big part of my life. Caring for Puan has been an absolute privilege."