London - A “girlie” gorilla with a fondness for pink celebrated its 40th birthday at London Zoo on Thursday with a colourful gourmet parsnip, potato and carrot cake.
Zaire, who weighs in at 105kg, could be seen in a video from the zoo slowly picking at the pyramid-shaped cake in her enclosure before lying on her side, scooping it up in handfuls and waving a piece of pinkish jelly in the air.
The treat was made by Richard Burr, a star baker on a popular television show, who said the cake presented particular challenges as he could not use eggs, flour, butter or sugar.
“I've made essentially a vegan cake,” he said.
Her keeper, Glynn Hennessy, said: “Zaire is our old lady of the group, but is still a girlie girl and loves anything pink.
“She loves pink fruit tea like strawberry or blackcurrant, so Richard making her a pink birthday treat was a fantastic surprise,” he said.
Zaire was born in a zoo on the island of Jersey in the English Channel and has resided at London Zoo for the past 30 years. - Sapa-AFP