1956 : First gorilla born in captivity
On this day in 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo enters the world at the
Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in
captivity. Weighing in at approximately 4 pounds, Colo, a western
lowland gorilla whose name was a combination of Columbus and Ohio, was
the daughter of Millie and Mac, two gorillas captured in French
Cameroon, Africa, who were brought to the Columbus Zoo in 1951. Before
Colo's birth, gorillas found at zoos were caught in the wild, often by
brutal means. In order to capture a gorilla when it was young and
therefore still small enough to handle, hunters frequently had to kill
the gorilla's parents and other family members.
Gorillas are peaceful, intelligent animals, native to Africa, who live
in small groups led by one adult male, known as a silverback. There
are three subspecies of gorilla: western lowland, eastern lowland and
mountain. The subspecies are similar and the majority of gorillas in
captivity are western lowland. Gorillas are vegetarians whose only
natural enemy is the humans who hunt them. On average, a gorilla lives
to 35 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
At the time Colo was born, captive gorillas often never learned
parenting skills from their own parents in the wild, so the Columbus
Zoo built her a nursery and she was reared by zookeepers. In the years
since Colo's arrival, zookeepers have developed habitats that simulate
a gorilla's natural environment and many captive-born gorillas are now
raised by their mothers. In situations where this doesn't work, zoos
have created surrogacy programs, in which the infants are briefly
cared for by humans and then handed over to other gorillas to raise.
Colo, who generated enormous public interest and is still alive today,
went on to become a mother, grandmother, and in 1996, a
great-grandmother to Timu, the first surviving infant gorilla
conceived by artificial insemination. Timu gave birth to her first
baby in 2003.
Today, there are approximately 750 gorillas in captivity around the
world and an estimated 100,000 lowland gorillas (and far fewer
mountain gorillas) remaining in the wild. Most zoos are active in
captive breeding programs and have agreed not to buy gorillas born in
the wild. Since Colo's birth, 30 gorillas have been born at the
Columbus Zoo alone.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1956 : First gorilla born in captivity
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52294
1894 : Dreyfus affair begins in France
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5621
1971 : Waldheim elected U.N. secretary-general
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7119
1984 : The Bernhard Goetz subway shooting
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5622
1989 : Romanian government falls
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5623
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On this day in 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo enters the world at the
Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in
captivity. Weighing in at approximately 4 pounds, Colo, a western
lowland gorilla whose name was a combination of Columbus and Ohio, was
the daughter of Millie and Mac, two gorillas captured in French
Cameroon, Africa, who were brought to the Columbus Zoo in 1951. Before
Colo's birth, gorillas found at zoos were caught in the wild, often by
brutal means. In order to capture a gorilla when it was young and
therefore still small enough to handle, hunters frequently had to kill
the gorilla's parents and other family members.
Gorillas are peaceful, intelligent animals, native to Africa, who live
in small groups led by one adult male, known as a silverback. There
are three subspecies of gorilla: western lowland, eastern lowland and
mountain. The subspecies are similar and the majority of gorillas in
captivity are western lowland. Gorillas are vegetarians whose only
natural enemy is the humans who hunt them. On average, a gorilla lives
to 35 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
At the time Colo was born, captive gorillas often never learned
parenting skills from their own parents in the wild, so the Columbus
Zoo built her a nursery and she was reared by zookeepers. In the years
since Colo's arrival, zookeepers have developed habitats that simulate
a gorilla's natural environment and many captive-born gorillas are now
raised by their mothers. In situations where this doesn't work, zoos
have created surrogacy programs, in which the infants are briefly
cared for by humans and then handed over to other gorillas to raise.
Colo, who generated enormous public interest and is still alive today,
went on to become a mother, grandmother, and in 1996, a
great-grandmother to Timu, the first surviving infant gorilla
conceived by artificial insemination. Timu gave birth to her first
baby in 2003.
Today, there are approximately 750 gorillas in captivity around the
world and an estimated 100,000 lowland gorillas (and far fewer
mountain gorillas) remaining in the wild. Most zoos are active in
captive breeding programs and have agreed not to buy gorillas born in
the wild. Since Colo's birth, 30 gorillas have been born at the
Columbus Zoo alone.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1956 : First gorilla born in captivity
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52294
1894 : Dreyfus affair begins in France
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5621
1971 : Waldheim elected U.N. secretary-general
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7119
1984 : The Bernhard Goetz subway shooting
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5622
1989 : Romanian government falls
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5623
#########################################
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