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STORY: Meet Rudi Valentino, the oldest

male orangutan living in North America

Location: Houston, Texas

Rudi celebrated his 45th birthday in December

He’s lived at the Houston Zoo since 1978

But at 50-years-old, his zoo mate

Cheyenne has him beat

(Cheka Heihn, Houston Zoo primate zookeeper)

“Males typically don't live as long as females, so it actually is a pretty big deal that Rudi is 45. // Cheyenne’s doing great, actually. She obviously doesn't move around quite as fast as she used to when she was younger. But other than that, she's doing very great. She, like, loves to come out on exhibit every day.”

Rudi and Cheyenne are ambassadors for their species

Orangutans are considered

critically endangered due to loss of habitat