Berlin Zoo has announced on Instagram that its oldest animal, Ingo the flamingo, has died at age 75.
Ingo the flamingo, Berlin Zoo’s oldest animal, has died. The zoo announced Ingo’s passing on Instagram, writing “We mourn the loss of Berlin's oldest zoo resident. Ingo the flamingo passed away at the age of 75”, alongside a black and white picture of the bird.
Native to Central and South America, flamingos are not an endangered species. Many migrate to Egypt, but since the brine shrimp that flamingoes eat which contains the beta-carotene that colours their feathers pink or orange can only be found in a few Egyptian lakes, most flamingos that migrate to the region are actually a very pale pink or white colour, like Ingo.
According to the label on Ingo’s leg, the flamingo was born in Cairo on June 26, 1948, before coming to Berlin in 1955.
Since Ingo’s passing, the baton of the most senior zoo animal has been handed to 66-year-old gorilla, Fatou.
Fatou was born in the wild and taken captive from West Africa in the 1950s. Now, at 66, she is the oldest living gorilla and the oldest gorilla ever.
Thumb image credit: Andrew Baum / Shutterstock.com