World's oldest ass 'Bubbles' celebrates turning SIXTY

That’s DONKEY’S years! World’s oldest ass ‘Bubbles’ celebrates turning SIXTY – as owner admits she ‘does look her age… but is still as young at heart’

  • Bubbles the donkey’s pet passport shows her foaling year as 1959 
  • This makes her six years older than the previous world record holder
  • She has been a star attraction at Hatton Adventure World since the 1990s 
  • Owner Richard Craddock said  she ‘loves attention’ and is still ‘going strong’

The world’s oldest donkey has reached the grand old age of 60, as her owner admits she ‘does look her age… but is still as young at heart’.

Bubbles the donkey is believed to have been born in 1959, making her around 20 years older than most donkeys can hope to live to.

She celebrated her 60th birthday with carrots and cake with her owner, Richard Craddock, who is manager of Hatton Adventure World in Warwickshire, where Bubbles lives and is one of the star attractions. 

Bubbles the donkey celebrated her 60th birthday with carrots and cake with her owner, Richard Craddock (above), who is manager of Hatton Adventure World in Warwickshire

Craddock said Bubbles is surprisingly very ‘placid’ in her old age and loves attention from visitors.

‘She’s very quiet and not particularly stubborn like lots of other donkeys. She loves the attention from lots of people,’ he said.

‘She’s like a grandma, we’ve all grown up with her with over the years. She’s a firm favourite with the staff and probably gets preferential treatment from some of them.

Her pet passport (pictured) shows her foaling year as 1959, making Bubbles six years older than previous world record holder Suzy, 54

‘Bubbles has still got lots of energy even though she’s not as energetic as some of the younger donkeys.

‘She’s had a lot of contact with people over the years and enjoys the company.

‘She does look her age now but she’s still as young at heart.’

Bubbles’ latest birthday means she has taken the crown from a donkey called Suzy, who entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s oldest donkey back in 2002 at the age of 54.

‘She’s like a grandma, we’ve all grown up with her with over the years,’ said Craddock. Bubbles moved to the farm in the early 1990s and has been at home there ever since 

Craddock said Bubbles has lots of energy despite her age and is one of the farm’s star attractions

What happened in 1959?   

  • Barbie is born – The first Barbie, Barbie Millicent Roberts, is introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York
  • Alaska and Hawaii become US states – US President Eisenhower admits Alaska and then Hawaii as the 49th and 50th US states
  • Cuban Revolution – Fulgencio Batista’s regime is overthrown in the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro is sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba
  • Dalai Lama flees Tibet – The Dalai Lama is exiled from Tibet after the failed Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation
  • USSR launches Luna 1 – Luna 1 is the first artificial object to leave the earth’s orbit 
  • US sends monkeys into space – Able and Baker become the first monkeys to survive a space flight  

In August this year, a donkey called Pepper caused a stir when vets said they believed she was more than 50 years old, despite her passport putting her birth as 1975.

But Bubbles’ pet passport shows her foaling year as 1959, meaning she is six years older than Suzy and was born the same year as Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and that the first Barbie Doll was launched.

Craddock said Bubbles moved to the farm in the early 1990s and has been at home there ever since.

He said: ‘I’ve been here as long as Bubbles. 

‘She’s been here since the beginning and she’s still going strong.

‘She first arrived when we first opened the farm in the early 90s. 

‘We’ve had a lot of other donkeys since but Bubbles was our very first.

‘We’ve all grown up with her over the years.’ 

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