Jojo the gorilla, who spent more than a decade in solitary confinement after being captured by poachers as an infant, now lives at the Lekedi Foundation in Gabon.
The male gorilla was less than a year old when poachers killed his family and sold him into the illegal wildlife trade. Data from the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance indicates that upwards of 6,000 African primates were bought or sold globally between the years 2000 and 2023.
Many additional animals were trafficked illegally for traditional medicine, wild meat, and exotic pets. He spent his early life in a cramped cage at a private zoo in Gabon before arriving at the sanctuary, where he is the only gorilla in his enclosure.
Jojo’s isolation shows an extreme case of psychological trauma in great apes. Prof Gillian Forrester of the University of Sussex detailed the circumstances.
Forrester is studying Jojo’s condition as part of an investigation into great ape psychology and trauma recovery.
He is probably the most extreme case of isolation that I have ever seen in a great ape.
Professor Gillian Forrester, University of Sussex
When Jojo arrived at the sanctuary, his behaviour showed the severe damage of his captivity, including avoiding direct eye contact with people. Over time, his demeanour changed, but visible scars remain.
Carers at the sanctuary observe that the gorilla clearly craves interaction. Maxe Anaclet Makaba sees Jojo nearly every day.
Makaba explained how the animal attempts to connect.
He even goes so far as to collect leaves for us to hold so that we can trade them for a treat in order to interact with us.
Maxe Anaclet Makaba
Upon the departure of familiar female visitors from his enclosure, Jojo emits the specific calls that wild silverbacks use to attract females. Éric Willaume runs the sanctuary.
Willaume said bluntly that the gorilla definitely feels lonely.
Wild gorillas spend their initial 14 to 19 years within a family group. They acquire survival abilities and social connections there.
Dr Katie Fawcett from the Grace Center said that forming social relationships is essential for an animal to be considered for release into the wild. Release is the ultimate goal for Jojo’s keepers.
Dr Robin Morrison studies the social lives of mountain gorillas at the University of Zurich. Morrison explained that a big part of a gorilla’s normal social life involves “simply sitting quietly together and sharing space” with a group.
Research by Morrison also showed that female mountain gorillas seeking to join a group actively search out familiar females they have not encountered for many years.
Jojo has never had the opportunity to sit quietly with another gorilla, move together, find food, or sleep alongside a companion. Forrester said that the international rules and processes governing the movement of captive gorillas across borders were designed for breeding programmes rather than finding companions for animals that need them.
There are no clear procedures in place for carrying out these kinds of relocations.
Doctor Katie Fawcett, Grace Center
Forrester contacted several accredited zoos to find an animal to join Jojo, but those discussions stalled without progress. Jojo remains at the Lekedi Foundation, where carers provide daily interaction while the regulatory barriers to finding him a companion persist.
