CHONBURI — 8 September 2026, Mae Mali, Thailand’s oldest hippopotamus, celebrated her 61st birthday at Khao Kheow Open Zoo with a giant fruit cake, birthday songs and a crowd of visitors.
The female hippo, a long-time favourite with Thai zoo-goers, emerged from her pool to a “cake” made from her favourite foods: watermelon, dragon fruit, apples, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, grapes, carrots and fresh grass.
Zoo staff, visitors, students and fans sang Happy Birthday as Mae Mali began eating the cake, while the zoo also organised an exhibition about her life, games and a station where visitors could write birthday messages.
Khao Kheow Open Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said the event was held to celebrate Mae Mali’s long life and encourage visitors to learn about hippopotamuses and wildlife conservation.
Mae Mali arrived in Thailand from Tilburg Zoo in the Netherlands on 8 June 1967, when she was one year old. She was initially cared for at Bangkok’s Dusit Zoo before moving to Khao Kheow Open Zoo on 18 December 2018.
Over more than six decades in Thailand, Mae Mali has given birth to 14 calves. Zoo officials said she remains in good health and is closely monitored by veterinarians and animal keepers.
The zoo describes Mae Mali as the longest-living hippo in Thailand. She is also believed to be the world’s oldest living hippo in captivity, although no publicly available global registry has formally confirmed the title.
Lu, a hippo at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida, died aged 65 in June 2025. Queen Bertha of Manila Zoo also died at 65 in 2017, the longest documented lifespan for a hippo. Mae Mali would match that age in four years and could surpass the record if she remains healthy beyond then.
The zoo said Mae Mali could have the chance to set a world longevity record in the future.
Khao Kheow’s official Facebook page confirmed the celebration and described Mae Mali as Thailand’s longest-living hippo. Official post. Florida State Parks confirmed Lu’s death at 65 in 2025. Florida State Parks
