Happy 50th, Yule!

More about Yule

Fabulous at Fifty! Yule, our white-handed gibbon celebrates a milestone Crystal Champeau-Williams Primary Primate Specialist It’s safe to say, Zoo guests, as well as neighbors of the Zoo, know our birthday boy well! Yule, the white-handed gibbon, and his daughter, Robin, are best known for their impressive duets they perform on a daily basis. Used as a bonding ritual, as well as to claim their territory, their loud ‘whooop, whooop’ can be heard for miles. This spring, they’ll have more to sing about as Yule turns 50 years old. Yule was born in Southeast Asia and has an estimated birthdate of May 28, 1966. His daughter, Robin, was born August 14, 1979, and her mother unfortunately passed away three years later in 1982.

It is not uncommon for wild female gibbon offspring to continue to live with their fathers if their mother passes away, and with their strong bond, Robin and Yule have remained together as companions. They have a very sweet relationship, sharing times of wrestling, tag, and grooming in addition to their daily concerts. In the wild, life expectancy for the white-handed (also known as lar) gibbon is around 25 years. Under human care they will live approximately 40-50 years. Yule is the oldest white-handed gibbon under human care within an AZA accredited facility in North America, thanks in part to the wonderful care he’s been given throughout the years. We are very exited to elebratYule’sspecial day with him this May. Stay tuned for more details on how you can take part in Yule’s birthday celebration where we’ll be ‘singing’ Yule’s praises for his 50 fabulous years!