Oregon Zoo's Chimp Delilah Celebrates Milestone 50th Birthday

Delilah, an Oregon Zoo chimpanzee who helped launch a decades-long friendship with renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, turned 50 on 25 May 2023. At 50, Delilah is one of the oldest animals at the zoo — but still not the oldest chimp. Jackson, 51, and Chloe, 54, are both older. All three have far surpassed the typical life expectancy for chimpanzees. Wild chimps typically live around 33 years, and the median life expectancy in zoos is 41.7 years for female chimps. Delilah was born May 25, 1973, at the Oregon Zoo, then known as the Portland Zoological Gardens. Around that time, the zoo's pioneering work with chimpanzees drew the attention of renowned conservationist Jane Goodall, who visited regularly, getting to know Delilah and the others. Dr. Goodall's work led to a new era of care for chimpanzees and other primates and inspired the design of the zoo's new primate area, which opened in 2020 and is home to eight chimps. Delilah has even gave care staff a chimp's-eye look at the new space when she moved in by taking took charge of a GoPro camera keepers had placed inside to chronicle her life.