News and Stories

Today we celebrate Bolingo’s 11th birthday! Bo was born here at The Cincinnati Zoo to Zanga and Vernon. Being a young male bonobo, Bo is incredibly playful not only with other members of the troop but also his keeper staff. Keepers would describe Bo as goofy, smart and such a sweet guy to our 1-year-old baby, Daisy.

On top of it being Bo’s birthday, The Jungle Trails team wanted to share some other exciting news. A few months ago, we conducted a paternity test to learn who Daisy’s father was. The potential dads were Vim, Vergil, and Bo.

Bonobos live in a fission/fusion lifestyle meaning they can join smaller groups of bonobos (fission) and then come back to their family group (fusion). Here at The Cincinnati Zoo, we mimic this natural behavior for our troop of 12 bonobos here as well. We let them communicate to the keeper staff of who they would or would not like to be with.

Due to this lifestyle, there were times where Gilda, Daisy’s mom, was with all three males at various times. This means Gilda bred all three males at different times which is why we had to conduct a paternity test. Bonobos can solve social conflict, build relationships, and reproduce offspring by breeding. Breeding is a huge part of their society. They do not just breed for reproduction.

Gilda’s pregnancy came as a complete shock for our team. She did not have a breeding recommendation and was actually on daily birth control. Like humans, birth control is not 100% effective. Regardless of the how and why the pregnancy did happen, bonobos are an endangered species, and the birth of Daisy is beneficial to the species as a whole.

A paternity test consisted of getting hair samples with the follicles from not only the three males(Vim, Vergil, Bo) but also from Gilda and Daisy. These samples were sent offsite to a lab.  The Jungle Trails team started a poll to see who they all thought the dad could be. It varied between all three males. After a few weeks, we received the results. Daisy’s dad is……. BOLINGO!

Now that we do know that Bo is the father of Daisy, we can see a lot of similarities between the two. They look alike and their personalities mimic one another. Daisy is just as goofy, playful and smart as Bo. Keepers have started working on training behaviors with Daisy, and she is catching on quickly.

Next time you are at the zoo, be sure to go to Jungle Trails and hang out with our bonobo troop. As the weather continues to warm up, you will be able to see bonobos on the indoor and outdoor habitat. There is no set schedule of when and where Daisy is throughout the day. Keepers try to give all of the bonobos equal time on each habitat.