News and Stories

Exciting news! Bonobo Gilda (18), gave birth to a baby this past Sunday morning! Gilda and her infant are doing great so far, enjoying some bonding time behind the scenes. Jungle Trails keepers will work on introducing mom & baby to the rest of the troop and habitat spaces as they both appear ready for these steps. Did you know bonobo babies are born with the capacity to fully cling to mom and hang on when she climbs around? This is a really helpful adaptation for an arboreal species, like bonobos.

We also welcomed two new bonobos from the Memphis Zoo, Lily (26) & Mpingo (10), a mother and son duo. Their arrival at Cincinnati provides the current troop with more social experiences, which is great for a socially complex species like bonobos. Currently the pair is going through a quarantine period, but they have visual/auditory access to their soon-to-be troop members. Once our veterinary team clears them of this quarantine window, the Jungle Trails team will work on fully introducing the pair to the bonobo troop. These various introductions occur at the animals’ pace, so stay tuned for more updates!

With so much excitement within the troop, all of the Cincinnati bonobos have increased their social grooming. Grooming allows individuals to enjoy proximity to each other, which helps establish and maintain positive social relationships. When new additions to the troop occur, whether through births or a move from another Zoo, we typically see a sharp increase in this behavior. So if you come through Jungle Trails, be prepared to see some really interesting hairdos!