The other Naked Ape? Meet the affectionate apes who spend so long grooming each other they go bald

By Daily Mail Reporter


Hair today, gone tomorrow: This bonobo mother affectionately grooms her baby so often at Jacksonville Zoo in Florida the youngster is unlikely to grow a thatch

Clutching onto its mother, these intimate images of a near-bald baby bonobo proves there is such a thing as too much love.

The apes spend so much time grooming each other at Jacksonville Zoo in Florida they have been afflicted with temporary baldness.

The affectionate practise is quite common among the species in the wild, but has been taken to the extreme in captivity.


Too much love: The over-preened baby clings to its mother in their enclosure

Aping around: The incredibly human-like primate bears an uncanny resemblance to bald TV detective Theo Kojak in this picture

The pictures were taken by British plumber, Graham McGeorge, who has spent three months documenting the female-dominated world of the animals at the zoo.

He said: 'They are very social apes so the lack of an adequate number of animals in a group may create this problem.'

Living with their mums for up to seven years means, that even when they grow up, the mollycoddled apes are unlikely to grow a full head of hair.


Heart to heart: It is thought the problem is caused because the bonobos don't live in large enough groups in captivity, which means they can't share the loving as much


Dedicated upbringing: The babies live with their mothers for up to seven years

So humanlike: The bonobos, which only live in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are born helpless and rely totally on their mothers for food and warmth

Endangered in the wild because of the destruction of their forest homes and hunting for the bush meat trade, there are thought to be 50,000 bonobos left alive in the wild.

They live only in the Democratic Republic of Congo and like human babies but, unlike other apes, they are born helpless relying totally on their mothers for food and warmth.

Mr McGeorge, 40, who lives just ten miles from Jacksonville Zoo, said: 'Bonobos are my favourite primate at the zoo.'


Under threat: The species is endangered in the wild because of the destruction of their forest homes and hunting


Bid for preservation: There are thought to be only 50,000 bonobos left alive in the wild

'I spend hours each trip just watching the mannerisms of the bonobo and their young.'

'I try to capture the interaction between mother and baby - and how the rest of the pack protects thee young members of their family.

'I always leave the zoo with a successful feeling.'


source:dailymail