World’s oldest Sumatran orangutan dies at 62; survived by 11 children; 54 descendants

She crossed the 'retirement age' two years ago. Now, Puan - the world's oldest Sumatran orangutan - died at Perth Zoo on Monday, June 18, at the ripe age of 62. She is survived by 11 children and 54 descendants who live across the world. Australian zoo authorities informed this on Tuesday, June 19.

Puan, who was referred to as the "grand old lady" of Perth Zoo, had been a resident of the zoo since 1968 when she was gifted by Malaysia.

Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered species who rarely reach the age of 50 in the jungle, the zoo authorities said, a BBC report said and Puan's greatness lies in the fact that she helped spread her species globally, doing a favour to its global survival.

"She did so much for the colony at Perth Zoo and the survival of her species," primate supervisor Holly Thompson was quoted as saying.

"Her genetics count for just under 10 per cent of the global zoological population."

Puan was born in 1956 and made a space for herself in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest verified Sumatran orangutan on the planet.

Puan's chief zookeeper penned an obituary in The West Australian newspaper to pay a tribute to her on Tuesday, the BBC report added.

There are less than 15,000 Sumatran orangutans living in the world at the moment, as per the World Wildlife Fund.