Jackson Free Press

He's hairy, over the hill and still a hit with the ladies. No, I don't mean George Clooney. JoJo the chimpanzee, the Jackson Zoo's oldest primate resident, is turning 50 years old this Saturday, Sept. 20. What better way to celebrate than with a slice of cake and a stroll through the long life of Jackson's champion chimp?

"JoJo came to us from Sydney, Australia, from the Taronga Zoo, on the 18th of October 1986," Animal Curator Willie Bennett said. "We received him on a breeding loan. He came along with a female chimp, Belle, as a breeding pair. We put them in with two other female chimps, Judy and Jeanette, to breed, and they were housed together."

The grouping resulted in the birth of JoJo's first son, JoJo Jr., who lived at the zoo for a while before he was eventually loaned out, as well. Since then, JoJo had three other children—Maybell, born May 23, 1989; Binti, born Jan. 26, 1999; and his second son, Mojo, born March 8, 2009.

Fifty years is certainly a milestone age for chimpanzees, but Bennett says JoJo is still in great shape for his age.

"JoJo is being treated for some medical problems, but right now, he's in good health, still capable of breeding," he said. "Chimpanzees can live around 40 to 45 years in captivity, depending on the quality of medical care and whether their environment feels natural." For the most part, JoJo's a hearty and cheerful chimp, which Bennett attributes to the Jackson Zoo's top-notch keeper staff.

Bennett says that common chimpanzees, which originally came from Africa, live in family groups, where the dominant males, such as JoJo, protect the females and the young. The trouble arrives when zoos have two males vying to be leaders of the pack.

"When another young male gets to breeding age, you'll have struggles for dominance, and that's what happened at the Taronga Zoo," Bennett said. "They had to give JoJo to us because he and his father started fighting for dominance of the group. His gene pool was needed here at the time."

JoJo may eventually have to stand off against his son, Mojo, once he reaches breeding age, but Bennett isn't worried about that yet.

"When you have the females out there, you're always going to have that young male that's wanting to be dominant," he said. "If it happens, it's going to be a few years down the road."

While JoJo is enjoying a surprise treat for his half-century birthday celebration, the zoo staff is readying another new friend to join the Jackson Zoo family.

"We have a new female, Arby, who's 27 years old, and we're in the process of getting them together," Bennett said. Introducing another female into the fold is a tricky process, and one that takes time. "When we put them in the same building, they have a 30-day quarantine. We'll put them side-by-side in cages so they can see each other. We'll have places where they can reach out and touch."

"We'll look at them and make sure, see how their temperaments are and see how the reactions are," he said. "If the reactions are good, we'll introduce them, get them to breed and then introduce the other females to get them acquainted. I don't feel like there's going to be any problems."

Now that he's reached the big "5-0," JoJo's changed his disposition a little, and Bennett and his coworkers have taken note of his wiser, more relaxed demeanor.

"Like humans do at age 50, JoJo gets to ... be laid back and watch the other females as they ... scuffle," Bennett said. "But he's still very active and very energetic. We put enrichment items out in the yard for him to interact with, and he still lets the females know that he's dominant, that this is his group."

JoJo's 50th birthday party is Saturday, Sept. 20, at 11 a.m. to noon at the Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). JoJo will receive a treat from the zookeepers, and party attendees will get cake. Tickets are $9.25 for general admission, $8.25 for seniors, $6.75 for children ages 2-12 and free for Jackson Zoo members and children under 2. For more information, visit jacksonzoo.org.