The Phoenix Zoo is used to hosting birthday parties, but this one's a little different. Duchess the orangutan turned 50 Saturday, and the zoo treated her to gifts, an ice cake filled with fruit and a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by hundreds of zoo visitors. Zoo officials say Duchess is America's oldest captive Bornean orangutan, and is now 10 years older than the 40-year life expectancy of orangutans in the wild. Duchess was 2 years old when the zoo opened in 1962, and is one of only a few remaining original animals. She has given birth seven times and lives with one of her daughters, and the daughter's child and mate. The birthday party included the groundbreaking of a new $4 million orangutan exhibit.
