# Jojo the gorilla's lonely life

> A gorilla isolated since infancy may finally get a companion, but experts disagree on whether it will help.
- Title: Jojo the gorilla's lonely life · BBC News | Shortify
- Summary: A gorilla isolated since infancy may finally get a companion, but experts disagree on whether it will help.
- Keywords: jojo, gorilla, lekedi foundation, gabon, captivity, isolation, trauma, great ape psychology, gillian forrester, tony king, primate welfare, BBC News
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwm2mn272nqlo
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: jojo, gorilla, lekedi foundation, gabon, captivity, isolation, trauma, great ape psychology, gillian forrester, tony king, primate welfare, news
## Jojo's first steps on grass
In two thousand fifteen, an eleven-year-old male gorilla named Jojo took his first tentative steps onto grass after spending almost his entire life in a tiny cage at a private zoo in Gabon.
## Taken as an infant
Jojo was less than a year old when poachers captured him and sold him. His family was killed by the poachers who took him from the wild.
## Still alone at the sanctuary
More than a decade later, Jojo is settled into the Lekedi Foundation sanctuary in Gabon, but he still lives alone. He has not had a family or any gorilla friends since he was taken.
## An extreme case of isolation
Prof Gillian Forrester from the University of Sussex, studying Jojo's psychology, says he is probably the most extreme case of isolation she has ever seen in a great ape.

> He's probably the most extreme case of isolation I've ever seen in a great ape.
## Craving human contact
Maxe Anaclet Makaba, head keeper at Lekedi, says Jojo craves human interaction. He gathers leaves for keepers to hold so they will trade them for treats, seeking any connection.
## Calling out for females
Jojo calls out when women he knows well visit his enclosure and then leave, making sounds that silverback males use to summon females in the wild, says sanctuary director Éric Willaume.
## He definitely feels lonely
Keeper Makaba says it is clear that Jojo feels lonely. You can see it in his eyes. Most gorillas spend the first fourteen to nineteen years of their life in an embedded family unit.

> He definitely feels lonely.
## Signs of chronic stress
Using thermal imaging, Prof Forrester discovered Jojo has a chronically cold nose, a sign of a malfunctioning stress response.When primates are stressed, blood flow to the eyes and ears increases, leaving the nose temporarily colder.
## Why a companion matters
Forrester says being connected to others is incredibly important to great ape psychology. Having another individual to share his life with would be healing for Jojo and help him process his grief and trauma.

> Being connected to others is incredibly important to our psychology as great apes.
## Barriers to finding a companion
International rules for moving captive gorillas across borders are designed for breeding programmes, not for finding companions for animals that need them.Forrester says there are no clear processes in place for these kinds of translocations.
## Too late to bond?
Conservationist Tony King from the Aspinall Foundation thinks it might be too late for Jojo to bond with other gorillas.He is probably in his twenties and has reached maturity.
## Solitude is natural for some males
Dr Robin Morrison from the University of Zurich, who studies mountain gorillas, says about a third of adult males are solitary.
## Trauma, not just loneliness
Morrison believes Jojo is probably both traumatised and lonely. While solitude is natural for some wild males, Jojo was forced into solitary confinement as an infant after his family was killed.
## A companion would mean freedom
Keeper Makaba says it would be good for Jojo to have a companion.Being alone is like being cut off from the world, like being in prison.

> Being alone is like being cut off from the world - it's like being in prison.
## Key takeaway

Jojo, a gorilla held alone in captivity since infancy, may get a companion to ease his trauma, but international rules and his maturity complicate the effort.