On top of it being Bo’s birthday, The Jungle Trails team wanted to share some other exciting news. A few months ago, we conducted a paternity test to learn who Daisy’s father was. The potential dads were Vim, Vergil, and Bo.

Bonobos live in a fission/fusion lifestyle meaning they can join smaller groups of bonobos (fission) and then come back to their family group (fusion). Here at The Cincinnati Zoo, we mimic this natural behavior for our troop of 12 bonobos here as well. We let them communicate to the keeper staff of who they would or would not like to be with.

Due to this lifestyle, there were times where Gilda, Daisy’s mom, was with all three males at various times. This means Gilda bred all three males at different times which is why we had to conduct a paternity test. Bonobos can solve social conflict, build relationships, and reproduce offspring by breeding. Breeding is a huge part of their society. They do not just breed for reproduction.