BROOKFIELD, Ill., June 25 (UPI) -- Cookie may not only be the oldest animal at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago but the oldest Major Mitchell cockatoo in any zoo, a spokeswoman said.
Sondra Katzen told the Chicago Tribune the venerable Cookie turned 78 Saturday and is the only remaining resident from the zoo's opening in 1938.
The pink Major Mitchell has been going strong since the Roosevelt administration and appears to be the oldest of its species at any zoo, Katzen said.
Cookie was shipped to the United States from Australia when it was just 1 year old as part of a delegation from Down Under that also included a wallaby and some kangaroos.
Cookie outlived legendary Brookfield inhabitants including Judy the elephant and Corongo the rhino.
