Jojo the Solitary Gorilla: Can a New Companion Transform His Life?

Dr Katie Fawcett of the Grace Center explains that forming social bonds is also “essential” if an animal is to be considered for release into the wild—the ultimate objective for Jojo’s caretakers.

The relationships between gorillas—what humans would describe as friendship—are fundamental to their society, according to Dr Robin Morrison of the University of Zurich, who studies the social lives of mountain gorillas. In a recent study, she found that female mountain gorillas joining a group would seek out females they already knew, even if they had not seen them for years.

She adds that a major part of a gorilla’s normal social life is “just sitting together quietly sharing space.”

But Jojo has never had the chance to sit quietly with another gorilla.

No one knows how Jojo will respond to a companion. Moving an animal from an accredited zoo would require a decision by an international committee, based on genetics, health, and the animals’ personalities and compatibility.

Any introduction to another animal would be handled very cautiously—perhaps by first giving them an object that carries the other’s scent before they meet.

Such slow, careful introductions between apes do occur—for example, when an animal moves from one zoo group to another. Forrester has contacted several accredited zoos to explore whether this could be done for Jojo, but those discussions have faded without any sign of progress.

The problem, she says, is that “there aren’t clear processes in place to do these kinds of trans-locations.”

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