Oldest living Sumatran orangutan in captivity

Born in the wild c. 1961 and collected in 1964, Bella the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) is estimated to turn 62 years old in 2023. She has lived at Hagenbeck Tierpark in Hamburg, Germany, since 15 April 1964 (now her nominated birthday). She was confirmed to be well as of 18 July 2023.

The typical longevity for orangutans in the wild is 35-40 years, increasing to around 50 years in captivity.

Bella became the oldest living orangutan following the passing of Inji, a female Sumatran orangutan at Oregon Zoo, USA, who was considered to have been a year older, born in the wild c. 1960.

The zookeepers at Hagenbeck describe Bella as honest, prudent, curious, intelligent, loving and never aggressive. Over her lifetime, she has given birth to six offspring and also raised three adopted youngsters.

Now that she has very few teeth remaining, Bella's favoured food is semolina porridge flavoured with savoury Maggi sauce or a sweetener such as honey, as well as soft fruit and vegetables.

The capture of wild animals for zoos is no longer considered acceptable by the zoological community, with the vast majority of animals born within captivity or transferred between facilities for breeding programmes.