Flamingo Ingo is probably 75 years old now Photo: DPA/Gregor Fischer
From BZ/dpa
The probably oldest resident of the Berlin Zoo is 75 years old. “They say the average age for a flamingo is 30 years. He’s a Methuselah there, definitely,” says animal keeper Thomas Lenzner.
Ingo’s identification marks are a red ring on one scrawny leg and an old greyish ring on the other. Difficult to see, for example when the birds are swimming or standing on one leg.
According to the zoo, what is written on the original ring is important: “Cairo, 6/23/1948”. The inscription was only discovered a few years ago. As a result, the gorilla lady Fatou (now estimated to be 66) had to give up her title as the oldest zoo resident.
What exactly the date is all about and whether Ingo really hatched on that day can no longer be clarified beyond doubt. But the zoo takes it as proof of his minimum age.