Binti Jua
Encyclopedia
Binti Jua is a Western Lowland Gorilla
female in the Brookfield Zoo
, in Brookfield, Illinois
, outside of Chicago
.
Binti Jua (whose name means "Daughter of Sunshine" in Swahili) is the niece of Koko
, the world famous gorilla that knows and communicates using American Sign Language. Her mother's name is Lulu, originally from the Bronx Zoo, but having died on January 24, 2011 after residing at the Columbus Zoo
. Her father's name is Sunshine (from the San Francisco Zoo
). Binti Jua has a grown daughter with the late, wild- born silverback, Abe, named Koola. She also has a son with another wild- born silverback who was purchased by Jack Badal as a baby and was trained to do circus stunts, named Ramar. Ramar inspired a book called Jungle to Stage. Their son is named Bakari and resides at the St. Louis Zoo with his half- brother, Nadaya. Binti has one granddaughter, born to her daughter Koola and silverback Ramar, named Kamba.
Binti walked to the boy's side while helpless spectators screamed, certain the gorilla would harm the child.
Another larger female gorilla approached, and Binti growled.
Binti picked up the child, cradling him with her right arm as she did her own infant, gave him a few pats on the back, and carried him 18 m (60 feet) to an access entrance, so that zoo personnel could retrieve him. Her 17-month-old baby, Koola, clutched her back throughout the incident. The boy spent four days in the hospital and recovered fully.
. Because Binti had been hand-raised, as opposed to being raised in the wild by other gorillas, she had had to be specially trained to care for an infant and to take her child to personnel for examinations. One could assume that this training resulted in her behavior when the little boy fell into her enclosure. Primatologist Frans de Waal
, however, uses Binti Jua as an example of empathy in animals.
However, there are many other examples of animals (especially primates) demonstrating apparent altruism. The strongest argument for the altruistic explanation involves a situation very similar to Binti's, in which a male gorilla named Jambo
, of Jersey Zoo, protected a 5-year-old child who had fallen into his enclosure. Jambo was not trained to care for children and was raised in captivity by his own gorilla mother, so that his actions may have involved an instinctive sense that the child needed his help. Similar behavior has been seen in chimps who "comfort" each other after an attack or other trauma.
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
female in the Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
The Brookfield Zoo is zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of and houses around 450 species of animals....
, in Brookfield, Illinois
Brookfield, Illinois
Brookfield is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, west of downtown. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census...
, outside of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Binti Jua (whose name means "Daughter of Sunshine" in Swahili) is the niece of Koko
Koko (gorilla)
Koko is a female western lowland gorilla who, according to Francine "Penny" Patterson, is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English....
, the world famous gorilla that knows and communicates using American Sign Language. Her mother's name is Lulu, originally from the Bronx Zoo, but having died on January 24, 2011 after residing at the Columbus Zoo
Columbus Zoo
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located in Powell, Ohio , just north of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Scioto River, at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Powell Road...
. Her father's name is Sunshine (from the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...
). Binti Jua has a grown daughter with the late, wild- born silverback, Abe, named Koola. She also has a son with another wild- born silverback who was purchased by Jack Badal as a baby and was trained to do circus stunts, named Ramar. Ramar inspired a book called Jungle to Stage. Their son is named Bakari and resides at the St. Louis Zoo with his half- brother, Nadaya. Binti has one granddaughter, born to her daughter Koola and silverback Ramar, named Kamba.
August 16, 1996
Binti is most well known for an incident which occurred on August 16, 1996, when she was eight years old. A three-year old boy climbed the wall around her zoo enclosure and fell 18 feet onto concrete below, rendering him unconscious.Binti walked to the boy's side while helpless spectators screamed, certain the gorilla would harm the child.
Another larger female gorilla approached, and Binti growled.
Binti picked up the child, cradling him with her right arm as she did her own infant, gave him a few pats on the back, and carried him 18 m (60 feet) to an access entrance, so that zoo personnel could retrieve him. Her 17-month-old baby, Koola, clutched her back throughout the incident. The boy spent four days in the hospital and recovered fully.
Aftermath
After the incident, experts debated whether Binti's actions were a result of training by the zoo or animal altruismAltruism in animals
Altruism is a well-documented animal behaviour, which appears most obviously in kin relationships but may also be evident amongst wider social groups, in which an animal sacrifices its own well-being for the benefit of another animal.- Overview :...
. Because Binti had been hand-raised, as opposed to being raised in the wild by other gorillas, she had had to be specially trained to care for an infant and to take her child to personnel for examinations. One could assume that this training resulted in her behavior when the little boy fell into her enclosure. Primatologist Frans de Waal
Frans de Waal
Fransiscus Bernardus Maria de Waal, PhD , is a Dutch primatologist and ethologist. He is the Charles Howard Candler professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University psychology department in Atlanta, Georgia, and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research...
, however, uses Binti Jua as an example of empathy in animals.
However, there are many other examples of animals (especially primates) demonstrating apparent altruism. The strongest argument for the altruistic explanation involves a situation very similar to Binti's, in which a male gorilla named Jambo
Jambo (gorilla)
Jambo was a celebrated gorilla housed at Jersey Zoo. He is well known for rescuing a young boy called Levan Merritt who fell into the gorilla enclosure in 1986.-Early life:...
, of Jersey Zoo, protected a 5-year-old child who had fallen into his enclosure. Jambo was not trained to care for children and was raised in captivity by his own gorilla mother, so that his actions may have involved an instinctive sense that the child needed his help. Similar behavior has been seen in chimps who "comfort" each other after an attack or other trauma.
External links
- Are we in anthropodenial?
- N.O. Zoo Plays Sex Ed Video for Gorilla -Binti's mate, Casey