Jambo (17 April 1961 – 16 September 1992) was a
gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
housed at
Durrell Wildlife Park
Jersey Zoo (formerly Durrell Wildlife Park) is a zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell (1925–1995). It is operated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. ...
in
Jersey, Channel Islands
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
. He was involved in an incident in which he was seen to be protective of a child who fell into his enclosure.
Early life
''
Jambo
Jambo (17 April 1961 – 16 September 1992) was a gorilla housed at Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey, Channel Islands. He was involved in an incident in which he was seen to be protective of a child who fell into his enclosure.
Early life
'' J ...
'' means "hello" in
Swahili. The gorilla was born on 17 April 1961, in
Zoo Basel
Zoo Basel is a non-profit zoo in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Its official name is ''Zoologischer Garten Basel'' — or in English: Basel Zoological Garden. Basel residents affectionately call it ''Zolli''. ,
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, to mother Achilla and father Stephi. Stephi was acquired from the
Columbus Zoo
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Sciot ...
in Ohio. Stephi was captured in 1950 by Columbus resident and gorilla hunter Bill Said, with two other baby gorillas, in
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...
. The three were sold to the Columbus Zoo for $10,000. The two which the Columbus Zoo kept, Baron Macombo and Millie Christina, became the parents of Colo, the first gorilla born in a zoo, in Columbus on 22 December 1956. She was the first gorilla born in captivity as well as the first gorilla in captivity to be raised by her own mother.
Jambo's older sister Goma, born on 23 September 1959 in Basel, was the first gorilla born in Europe and lived in the Zoo Basel until her death in 2018.
Before Jambo was transferred to Jersey Zoo, Jambo and Goma had a son named Tamtam, who was born at Zoo Basel on 2 May 1971, and died at Wuppertal Zoo on 34 July 2009. Jambo also fathered a daughter while still at Zoo Basel by an unrelated female. Jambo had seven siblings and 20 offspring by five different mates, including three stillbirths. He was moved to
Jersey Zoo
Jersey Zoo (formerly Durrell Wildlife Park) is a zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell (1925–1995). It is operated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. ...
on 27 April 1972.
Rescue of Levan Merritt
On 31 August 1986, five-year-old Levan Merritt fell into the gorilla enclosure and lost consciousness. Jambo stood guard over the boy when he was unconscious, placing himself between the boy and other gorillas in what
ethologist
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objective ...
s analyze as a protective gesture. He later stroked the unconscious boy's back. When the boy regained consciousness and started to cry, Jambo and the other gorillas retreated in panic, and the
silverback
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
led them into a small hut in the corner of their pen. A paramedic and two keepers rescued the boy. Most of the incident was recorded on home video, and extensively photographed by zoo visitors. The publicity on major news channels and newspapers helped ease public fears about the potentially violent
nature of gorillas.
Death and legacy
![La Mênag'gie d'Jèrri siez Durrell 2013 196](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/La_M%C3%AAnag%27gie_d%27J%C3%A8rri_siez_Durrell_2013_196.jpg)
Jambo was found dead by his
keeper in the gorilla enclosure on 16 September 1992. The cause of death was the spontaneous rupture of a major artery, resulting in a hemorrhage in his chest. A biography of Jambo, written and illustrated by his keeper, was published following his death. A documentary has also been released primarily based on the home video footage of the Levan Merritt incident.
Jersey Zoo has erected a bronze statue of Jambo inside the zoo grounds as a tribute to the gorilla who helped change public perception about the species.
See also
*
Binti Jua
Binti Jua (born March 17, 1988) is a female western lowland gorilla in the Brookfield Zoo, in Brookfield, Illinois, outside of Chicago, US. She received media attention after a situation in 1996 in which she tended to a three-year-old boy who had ...
, a gorilla at
Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. It houses around 450 species of animals in an area of . It opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recogni ...
in
Brookfield, Illinois
Brookfield (formerly Grossdale) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located west of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,476. The city is home to the Brookfield Zoo.
Geography
Brookfield is located at ...
, which protected a three-year-old boy who had fallen into its enclosure in a similar incident in 1996.
*
Harambe
Harambe (May 27, 1999 – May 28, 2016) was a western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo from 2014 to 2016, and previously at the Gladys Porter Zoo for 15 years. On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosu ...
*
List of individual apes
This is a list of non-human apes of encyclopedic interest. It includes individual chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and gibbons that are in some way famous or notable.
Actors
* Bam Bam, an orangutan, played Precious (Passions), Preciou ...
Footnotes
Sources
*Jambo: A Gorilla's Story, Richard Johnstone-Scott,
Michael O'Mara Books
Michael O'Mara Books is a small, family-run, privately owned publishing house in the United Kingdom. Established in London in 1985, by an American expatriate, Michael O'Mara, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his British wife, Lesley, ...
(1995)
*Jambo - The Gentle Giant, Green Umbrella, 2005
* Lang, E.M., "Jambo, first gorilla to be raised by its mother in captivity", National Geographic, March 1964 125: 446–53
* Lang, E.M., "Goma, the gorilla baby", Doubleday 1963
* Durrell, Gerald, "The Stationary Ark", Glasgow: William Collins & Sons & Co. Ltd. 1976
* "The first gorilla born in captivity", Life 14 January 1957 42:57–58
* "Life Goes On A Gorilla Hunt", Life 19 November 1951, 31:175–80
* Hanna, Jack, "Monkeys On The Interstate", New York: Doubleday 1989 pgs. 140–65
* "Goma: baby girl gorilla: Basel Switzerland Look 24:121–24 11 October 1960
* "Jungle stare in baby's lare: Goma of Basel Zoo" Life 48:20–21 25 April 1960
* "Rare new Swiss baby: gorilla at Basel Zoo" Life 47:172 26 October 1960
* Zahl, P.A., "Face to face with gorillas in Central Africa", National Geographic 117:114–37 January 1960
* Lang, Ernst M., "Jambo The Second Gorilla Born At Basle Zoo" International Zoo Yearbook Vol. III 1961 pg. 84
* Carmichael, Leonard; Kraus, Mozelle Bigelow; Reed, Theodore; "The Washington National Zoological Park Gorilla Infant Tomoka" International Zoo Yearbook Vol. III 1961 pg. 88
External links
Homepage of the home videographer of the Levan Merritt incidentOfficial homepage of the Jersey Zoo
{{authority control
1961 animal births
1992 animal deaths
Animal monuments
Individual gorillas