Penny

Penny and Blackie, Shanti's parents, each spent 25 years in research. They were wild-caught and were probably at least five years old when they entered research. They lived in a small indoor cage, but their devotion to each other kept them going. Most gibbons die before reaching 30, so Blackie and Penny were obviously very old. We knew they might only live a few months, but we thought that enjoying fresh air and sunshine, even briefly, was something they richly deserved. Blackie and Penny left the New York lab and reached IPPL in 1984. That was sixteen long years ago. Both are well over 40 years old now. The US zoo record for their species is 37, so these durable gibbons broke a record!