For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles 904-757-4463, ext. 210; 904-655-3632; stilesg@jacksonvillezoo.org

New Male Bonobo Reunited with Mother at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

August 25, 2008– Jacksonville, FL – Mabruki, a robust 26-year-old male bonobo who first arrived from the Fort Worth Zoo on May 14, 2008, is now on exhibit in the Great Apes’ bonobo yard at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.  Lorel, a 39-year-old female bonobo who is the matriarch at the Zoo, birthed Mabruki at the Yerkes National Primate Reserve Center in Atlanta, Georgia.  Mother and son were reunited for the first time since he was nine, when Mabruki was transferred from the Yerkes Center to the Fort Worth Zoo. On their first day next to each other in the night house, Mabruki and Lorel spent a significant amount of time grooming one another, which the Zoo employees feel may have been a sign that the two recognized each other.  Mabruki is also the son of Bosondjo, the former male patriarch of the Jacksonville bonobo family who passed away in the summer of 2005.  Mabruki has joined siblings Kaleb, Lily, Kuni, Lexi and Lucy, bringing the total number of resident bonobos to seven, including two males and five females. 

“The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is dedicated to conservation of all animal species.  Growing our bonobo family is one more important way that we are helping to preserve and grow captive populations for the future,” said Executive Director Dennis Pate.

Mabruki has never had an opportunity to produce offspring and was recommended to the Jacksonville Zoo by the Bonobo Species Survival Program (SSP) for that purpose.  The SSP has also recommended other bonobos for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens group. Two males and two females will arrive from San Diego Wild Animal Park this fall.  The adult male in that group is the preferred breeding male for Jacksonville, due to genetics.  He will be allowed to breed with three females at the Zoo and Mabruki, as the secondary breeding male, will be allowed to breed with two females.  

“These new additions will create a naturalistic bonobo social group, consisting of multiple males, multiple females and their offspring,” said Tracy Williams, mammal supervisor at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,500 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Located on Jacksonville’s north side two miles off I-95, the Zoo is open year-round, 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Zoo is open until 6:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays from March to Labor Day.  For more information on the Zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.                                   

Picture is available upon request.

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