Jambo
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Jambo was a celebrated gorilla housed at Jersey Zoo. The gorilla was born on April 17, 1961 in Zoo Basel, Basel, Switzerland to mother Achilla and father Stephi. He was the first male gorilla born in captivity as well as the first gorilla in captivity to be raised by his own mother. Jambo means "hello" in Swahili (for etymology, see jambo).
Jambo was moved to Jersey Zoo, founded by Gerald Durrell on April 27, 1972. He sired many offspring in captivity, who now reside in zoos virtually all over the world. He was found prematurely dead by his keeper in the gorilla enclosure on September 16, 1992.
Jambo shot to international news stardom overnight on August 31, 1986, when 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 ethologists analyze as a protective gesture. He later stroked the unconscious boy. When the boy regained consciousness and started to cry, Jambo and the other gorillas retreated, and an ambulanceman and two keepers rescued the boy. Most of the drama was shot on home video by Brian Le Lion, and extensively photographed by bystanding zoo visitors. The publicity on major news channels and newspapers forever dispelled the myth of the gorilla as a fearsome, King Kong like creature.
There has also been a repeat similar incident in the Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois, involving the gorilla Binti Jua in 1996.
A biography of Jambo, written and illustrated by his keeper Richard Johnstone-Scott was published following his death.
- Jambo: A Gorilla's Story, Richard Johnstone-Scott, Michael O'Mara Books (1995) ISBN 1-85479-701-8
A documentary has also been released primarily based on the home video footage of the Levan Merritt incident.
- Jambo - The Gentle Giant, Green Umbrella, 2005
Jersey Zoo has erected a bronze statue of Jambo inside the zoo grounds as a tribute to the gorilla which helped change public perception about the species.
[edit] References
- Bill Radford, Gorillas in the tryst, The Gazette (Colorado Springs), April 24, 2005
