Meet Koko, the White-handed Gibbon

Now we can see the white-handed gibbon exhibit, home to Koko. Koko was born at the zoo in 1989. His dad, Petey, lived to be 47 and was loved by guests. Koko has a confident manner and is very intelligent, and he loves to play with the kids in his window, swinging back and forth and high-fiving them against the glass. Gibbons like koko are considered apes and not monkeys, as apes do not have tails. Their main movement style is brachiation (or arm swinging), but they can run and walk upright on the ground. They love to stay high up in the canopy, Gibbons sleep sitting up, with their face resting on their bent knees. White Handed Gibbons are native to Southeast Asia, where they are sadly endangered due to hunting, illegal pet trade, and deforestation.