Colo (gorilla)

Colo was a western gorilla born on December 22, 1956, and she became famous because she was the first gorilla ever to be born in captivity. She lived her whole life at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio. Colo was born to mother Millie Christina and father Baron Macombo.

When she was very young, people called her "Cuddles" for a short time. Then, a contest was held to choose her official name. Mrs. Howard Brannon from Zanesville, Ohio, won the contest, and Colo’s name was chosen to honor the city where she was born: Columbus.

Colo lived a long life and became the oldest known gorilla in the world by 2017. She passed away on January 17, 2017, but she remains an important part of history because of her role in helping scientists and zoos learn more about gorilla care and behavior.

Life

The Columbus Zoo first got gorillas in 1951. In 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo was born there—she was the first gorilla ever born in captivity. Because her mother didn’t accept her right away, zookeepers raised Colo by hand, almost like a human child. They dressed her in clothes and fed her special baby formula.

When Colo was two years old, she met a young male gorilla from Africa named Bongo. Together, they had three babies: Emmy, Oscar, and Toni. Later, Colo became a great-grandmother and even a great-great-grandmother! Though she didn’t raise her own children, she helped raise her grandsons and acted like a guardian for another grandson.

Colo lived at the Columbus Zoo her whole life, becoming the oldest gorilla in captivity after another gorilla named Jenny passed away in 2008. She celebrated her 60th birthday in 2016 and sadly passed away in her sleep on January 17, 2017.

Genealogy

Colo had a big family. She was a mother to three gorillas, a grandmother to 16, a great-grandmother to 12, and even a great-great-grandmother to three.