Miracle baby Gladys was raised by keepers and then a surrogate gorilla mom after her mother rejected her. Some had questioned whether Gladys would know how to be a good mother, but those fears faded away as 13 year old Gladys seemed to know exactly how to be the best mother to her son Mboka Jo, right from the beginning, when she had her first baby in September of 2025.
Mboka Jo in June
Mboka Jo just celebrated his first birthday at the Cincinnati Zoo with an elaborate party, well attended by his fans and friends.
Mboka Jo has a cupcake at his party, Gladys looks on.
Gladys was born in the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas on January 29, 2013, to first time mother Kiazi, who showed no interest in taking care of her baby.
In February of 2013 Gladys was brought to the Cincinnati Zoo, where there were four potential surrogate gorilla mothers who could help raise the infant. A ground-breaking method of "gorillafication" for the baby included the human keepers wearing specially designed fake fur vests so Gladys could hang onto her caretaker just as she would a gorilla mother. The mothering job was divided among a number of keepers, but they all wore the gorilla fur vests and spoke to Gladys in what you might call gorilla language. Her caretakers crawled around, ate bananas, and did what they could to teach Gladys how to be a gorilla.
Baby Gladys in 2013, hangs onto one of her human caretakers, before she bonded with surrogate mom Mlinzi
This eased the transition when Mlinzi, one of the potential surrogate mothers, stepped in to raise Gladys, although the baby still had to be brought to the bars to drink her special gorilla milk formula from a bottle. It worked so well with Gladys that, ever since, the gorilla fake fur vests are commonly used when a baby gorilla needs keeper care.
Head Primate Keeper Ron Evans at the time, with Baby Gladys
Mara, the late Samantha and Chewie eventually joined the mothering group as Mlinzi cared for baby Gladys.
As Gladys grew, Silverback Jomo was in the picture, and other babies were born. Gladys could observe as baby Mondika "Mona," born in 2014 to Asha, and Elle, born in 2015 to Anju, were cared for by their mothers and other females in the troop, as well as father Jomo. This provided a good foundation for Gladys when she eventually became a mother. She had some good role models to follow.
Daddy Jomo with the kids.
Gladys and Mboka Jo when he was about a month old.
Gladys and her baby.
Mboka Jo in June, 2026
The First Birthday party for Mboka Jo was held on September 20, with much fanfare, for it was also celebrating World Gorilla Day which was later that week.
Riding on his mom's back, Mboka Jo sees his birthday cake
At the party, the family, Father Mbeli, Mother Gladys and Baby Mboka Jo.
There were banners galore, special frozen treats, coconuts, some special gorilla cupcakes, and a very fancy and fruity layer cake made of frozen juices.
Elle had some blue "world" treats
Gladys and Mboka Jo looked for treats in the blue raffia
Chewie and Elle celebrate
The Birthday Cake. Elle wants some. MBeli thinks it is his cake
Mboka Jo schemes how to get some of his cake
while his dad Mbeli is guarding it
The prize
My Birthday Cake!
Mboka Jo gets a taste
Elle finally gets some cake, and what does she do?
She picks it up and tosses it straight into the moat!
Chewie munches on a frozen flower treat.
Chewie is expecting her first baby this winter.
Mboka Jo will have a playmate.
Baby gorillas like Mboka Jo have a white spot on their tails,
so troop members can easily identify a baby.
It fades as they get older.
Even with the cake tossed into the moat,
there are plenty more party goodies for all.
All the humans who came to the party were given a gift
of a souvenir pin with a photo of the birthday boy.
Schottzie on her last morning in Cincinnati, Tuesday, Sept. 10
Schottzie at Halloween, 2022
Jati and Schottzie in the new Cincinnati Zoo Elephant Trek,
late August, just a few weeks before their departure.
Several generations of Cincinnati families have grown up with visit to the famous Schottzie the elephant at the Cincinnati Zoo. She was always there with her two friends, Mai Thai and Jati, the three Golden Girls, plus sometimes Sabu, the male, but he usually lived in the back paddock, behind the magnificent historic Elephant House. More recently, people could visit them in the vast new Elephant Trek on the back side of the zoo.
Schottzie and our beloved Zoo Santa
in the days of free contact, Christmas 2014.
On Tuesday, September 10, Schottzie and Jati left the Cincinnati Zoo for an overnight journey to Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida. I was at the zoo with a friend, and we watched Anak and the two boys play in the yard by the Asian Otters. Separated from the others by a gate, Schottzie and Jati munched on leaves and branches in the main yard.
The historic old Elephant House at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Schottzie's home for nearly half a century, the elegant Indian inspired elephant house of the Cincinnati Zoo was designed by architect James W. McLaughlin. It was originally named the Herbivora House and held rhinos, hippos, tapirs, and elephants.
Another view of the historic Elephant House
For the past hundred years or so, the elephants of the Cincinnati Zoo have lived in the historic elephant house designed to look like the Taj Mahal. The all-concrete structure was built in 1906 on the highest point of the zoo at a cost of $50,000. In the early days, when the building was known as the Herbivora House, the elephants sometimes shared space with kangaroos, bison, rhinos and hippos. In the 1930's there was even a rare Pygmy Elephant from Africa, named Gimpy. The building is 150 feet long, 75 feet high, and was intended for Asian elephants. African elephants would be too large and too strong for the design. In 1975 the remarkable building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since the Cincinnati elephants moved to the new Elephant Trek several years ago, the empty elephant house is now being converted to a home for giraffes.
Now demolished to make room for the new Giant Panda habitat, this is the Copenhagen Zoo Elephant House where Schottzie was born in 1975. A new elephant house was built, and Schottzie's relatives still live there. Photo from my 2013 visit.
Schottzie was born to royalty in Copenhagen in on December 15, 1975. Her father Chieng Mai and her mother Buag Hah were royal gifts to the King and Queen of Denmark from the King of Thailand upon their visit.
Chieng Mai,
father of Schottzie in Copenhagen.
Schottzie's brother Chang, born in 1981, fathered 20 children, died in 2020. I visited him and took this photo of Chang in 2019 in the Copenhagen Zoo.
History posted at the new elephant house at Copenhagen Zoo
Among other offspring (ten in total), her parents had previously produced another daughter five years before named Irma, who went to live in Rotterdam. Irma's progeny would later encounter Schottzie in Cincinnati.
Schottzie's original name was Irma Boon Ma (another Irma). When she was almost three years old, it was arranged that she should fly to the United States, and her fare was paid by wealthy and eccentric zoo patron Marge Schott, who was owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Marge had the idea of bringing Schottzie to the games, and to the Opening Day Parade. She insisted on changing the young elephant's name to Princess Schottzie II (The first Princess Schottzie had passed away).
The young elephant flew to Chicago, but there was some sort of transportation mix up, so Schottzie spent several days at the Brookfield Zoo before making it to her final destination of Cincinnati, where she met one of her lifelong companions, Mai Thai, who was only a few years older. There was also an African elephant named Gretchen, who was famously featured on post cards, and visitors were allowed to feed her peanuts through the fence.
I have been told that Schottzie still remembers and obeys commands in Danish, but has long since also learned English commands. As they say, an elephant never forgets.
Schottzie and Jati celebrate Christmas in 2014.
Schottzie moved to the Fort Worth Zoo when she was 11 years old, where she stayed for several years, then back to Cincinnati, and then briefly in the Dickerson Park Zoo with Mai Thai, before returning to Cincinnati with her friend, where Schottzie would stay until just this week.
In 1991, Malaysian wildborn Jati arrived in Cincinnati. She was 12 years younger than Schottzie. And she is the companion moving to Florida with her.
Jati and Schottzie in 2016
Cincinnati Zoo elephant keeper Cecil Jackson Jr. has just retired in August. He and Schottzie have shared most of the their lives at the zoo together.
Elephant keeper Cecil Jackson and his three ladies (and Santa)
Mai Thai, Schottzie, Jati at Christmas in 2014.
Mai Thai and Schottzie at Easter, 2018, having an Easter Egg Hunt.
Schottzie's life changed two years ago, when she was moved from the historic Elephant House to the Cincinnati Zoo's new Elephant Trek, along with Mai Thai, Jati and Sabu. Already living in the Elephant Trek were four younger elephants: Schottzie's late sister Irma's daughter SheRa (Yasmin) (36), born in Rotterdam, SheRa's daughter Anak (23) also born in Rotterdam, SheRa's young son Kabir (9), and Anak's young son Sanjay (8), both boys born in Dublin with the same father.
Schottzie never did accept her sister's offspring as part of the herd, and has been kept separate, along with her friend Jati. Elephant Trek has two main yards, a side yard and a spacious elephant barn, so it wasn't too hard to give her space. But maybe there were tensions. In any case, it was decided to move Schottzie and Jati to another zoo.
Elephant Bull Sabu and longtime keeper Cecil Jackson
at the old Cincinnati Zoo elephant house backyard.
Elephant bull Sabu had spent several years in the Columbus Zoo while the new Elephant Trek was being built, and the result was two calves born there last year.
So far, the Cincinnati Zoo has not had much luck in breeding Sabu with SheRa and Anak, the two fertile lady elephants who recently arrived from Europe. It is hoped that having Schottzie and Jati moved to a new home will ease tensions and the female elephants will bond with Sabu and possibly produce babies.
Retirement to Florida
A move to Busch Gardens in Tampa, a combination amusement park and zoo, is not without controversy. Carina, a 54-year-old geriatric Asian elephant, was euthanized in July 2026 after a sudden decline in health. Rosie, another 54-year-old Asian elephant, had collapsed during a park fireworks show in 2022, and could not stand for over five hours. She never fully recovered, and was euthanized in November of 2024.
The remaining elephants are Carina's daughter 36 year old Karnaudi, the 58 year old matriarch Simba, and 57 year old Tina.
The habitat has a big pool, and it looks like they give their elephants lots of enrichment.
I have not visited Bush Gardens, but I did look at a map of the park. While most of the animals at Busch Gardens live in habitats a little removed from the amusement park, the elephants live right next to coasters and other rides, noisy construction of a new coaster, and there are also fireworks shows, which are controversial regarding the elephants, who would probably prefer peace and quiet.
Florida, as a warmer weather state, may be more comfortable for the aging elephants during the winter.
I hope Schottzie and Jati adjust to their new home, and make friends with the three older lady elephants already there.
The view in Columbus, atop the underwater viewing porch, 2014. Nanuq looking down upon us.
Many aquariums and some zoos have made good use of the development of modern acrylic underwater viewing tunnels, usually showcasing colorful fish, sometimes sharks and other aquatic animals.
The Tunnel in the Arctic Ring of Life in Detroit, with male polar bear Kali on top of the tube. July 2026.
Astra and her mother Suka swim, 2021 in Detroit.
Most zoos housing polar bears offer 2 dimensional underwater viewing, usually giving visitors a chance to see the bears swimming on the other side of tall wide windows.
The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat in Canada even offers a kiddie paddle pool right at the polar bear viewing window, so it almost seems that you are swimming with the polar bears, except for the thick sheet of glass in between.
The three bears, Chinook, Kalluk and Tatqiq, in 2015 at the San Diego Zoo, play-fighting in front of a giant viewing window.
I have been able to discover only five zoos that offer the incredible experience of viewing polar bears from underneath, from the dry comfort of a viewing tunnel, or in the case of the Columbus Zoo, an underwater "porch" where the bears can swim overhead and on three sides.
Viewing tunnels for polar bears can be found:
The Detroit Zoo in Michigan
The Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania
The Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg Canada
The Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark.
Also the Columbus Zoo in Columbus Ohio has an underwater viewing "porch"
Aurora and the late Nanuq in 2014 Columbus.
The Columbus Zoo has an underwater viewing area in the Polar Frontier where visitors descend, either by stairs or by long ramp trail into an abandoned "mine shaft" to 16 feet below the upper viewing level. Polar Bears swim through a 167,000 gallon saltwater pool, in front, to the sides and above seen through thick acrylic windows in this 30 foot long alcove.
This bear in Columbus is actually standing
on the roof of the underwater viewing alcove.
Mother Aurora and her son Kulu in 2021, the Columbus Zoo,
playing with a hose on top of the viewing alcove.
Here's a video that shows the ramp down into the mine, and all the action in the underwater viewing area of the Columbus Zoo polar bear home.
Watching polar bear cub Nora catch fish overhead in 2016, from the underwater veranda at the Columbus Zoo.
Anana and her cub Amelia Gray in Columbus in 2017.
Columbus Zoo, 2014, a good view of the underwater viewing area. There are visitors at the window above, too, looking down.
One of the cubs, Nuniq or Neva, at the Columbus Zoo in 2018.
Young cub Neva and the fish,
from the underwater viewing alcove at the Columbus Zoo.
Current residents of the Columbus Zoo are Aurora and Lee.
In 2018, cubs Nuniq and Neva have a play battle atop the roof of the viewing alcove in the Columbus Zoo, quite a sight to see.
And now on to Detroit!
The transparent underwater viewing tube at the Detroit Zoo is a marvel. The 70 foot long tunnel within the 300,000 gallon chilled saltwater pool, the Frederick and Barbara Erb Polar Passage, is unparalleled in any other zoo that I have visited.
The tunnel was built for two species to "share," with an invisible division to keep them separate. For many years, the bears shared their pool with seals, but now sea otters are the polar bears' neighbors.
I also appreciate that the Detroit viewing tunnel has seating along both sides, so it is easy to just relax and spend lot of time there.
Current residents in Detroit are male Kali and females Suka and Haley.
In 2015, female polar bear Talini "hunts" for seals, as her mother taught her. Detroit Zoo.
When the seals were in residence, rescued East German circus bear Bärle taught her daughter Talini how to "hunt" the seals, and the seals learned how much fun it was to play hunt with Talini.
Talini and the seal, in 2015 in Detroit. Talini now lives in Lincoln Park Zoo.
The seal teases and plays "hunt' with Talini in 2015. They are separated by highly engineered acrylic walls in the tunnel.
When the seals lived there, the water was crystal clear in both habitats, the polar bears and the seals, and visitors enjoyed watching the interaction between predator and prey, although the prey (seals) knew they were perfectly safe. And yet, they were phased out, seals sent to other zoos around 2020, because some felt they were stressed out by being "hunted."
The new neighbors, the Southern Sea Otters, cannot have chlorine in the water, for their fur is more sensitive, so now there is more algae in the water, and it is harder to see them in the tunnel viewing area. I was told by Rick the polar bear keeper, however, that Haley does see the otters and keeps and eye on them, which the otters are not happy about.
So now visitors can pretty much only see the polar bears in the viewing tunnel, and the sea otter section is too clouded to see the swimming residents. You can see the sea otters in the surface viewing area, just past the exit of the viewing tunnel.
In 2022, cub Laerke swims by the viewing room overlooking the Pack Ice at the Detroit Zoo.
Near the tunnel in the Detroit Zoo s a special viewing room where you can also watch the bears swim underwater, with a large window to see the pool and the Pack Ice area above.
Two of the three sea otters in Detroit. Kit is the oldest and used to serving as a surrogate mother to young pups, so she treats Monte and Finn as babies, much to their dismay.
Haley, who lived in Memphis for most of her life where there isn't a deep pool, really appreciates the fantastic saltwater pool in Detroit and spends a lot of time swimming there. Photo July 2026.
The acrylic tunnel in the Arctic Ring of Life in Detroit is four inches thick, but is perfectly clear. It is engineered to hold back the pressure of the 300,000 gallon saltwater pool, and the impact of the half ton (plus) polar bears pushing off from it or sitting atop the tunnel. Visitors get a clear 270 degree look at the swimming bears.
In Detroit, Haley swimming toward the tunnel, July 2026. The dark areas below and behind her are windows into the Southern Sea Otter pool. Haley does watch the otters, which the otters are not happy about.
It's a thrill to look up and see a huge male polar bear, in this case Kali, standing on the tunnel over your head at the Detroit Zoo, July 2026. What a great way to see just how big are their paws.
Boris/Ivan, in Copenhagen Zoo in 2013, swims over the tunnel to the delight of visitors.
In Europe, underwater tunnel polar bear viewing is available only in Copenhagen.
In the Arctic Ring of the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark, polar bears can swim over and around a 360 degree circular acrylic tunnel with a glass floor. You must first descend down a long spiraling ramp into an underground complex to get to the tunnel, which you will pass through as you continue down the spiral to a dead end with various displays about other arctic animals and birds. It is hard to know when a bear might be swimming nearby, since it is isolated from the above ground viewing. I was fortunate to see Ivan/Boris swimming around the tunnel on one of my visits.
In Copenhagen, the glass tunnel floor is also a
through walkway to the rest of the underground complex
so it can get very crowded when no one wants to move.
Since you must walk through the tunnel to continue down the underground path, it can create a bottleneck on the path if there is a lot of swimming action.
Be prepared for a lot of walking to get to the underwater viewing tunnel in Copenhagen, but it is amazing if you are lucky enough to see a bear swimming there.
Currently, two lady bears, Lynn and Noel, are the residents.
Boris/Ivan sits atop the tunnel in the Copenhagen Zoo new polar bear habitat in 2013.
Boris/Ivan swims down the side of the tunnel, with the reflections of the visitors. Copenhagen Zoo.
The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium has a spectacular marine complex called Waters Edge with underwater viewing for polar bears, but the only resident Snowflake is elderly, will be 31 years old this fall, and does not often venture out these days. You probably won't see her in the tunnel area. I have visited Snowflake in SeaWorld San Diego, but have yet to get to the Pittsburgh Zoo.
This is a 2019 video the Pittsburgh Zoo created, where you can see Snowflake and her companion Koda, who is now in Memphis, swimming above the tunnel.
In 2018 at the Columbus Zoo, Mother Aurora with her cubs Nuniq and Neva, atop the acrylic viewing "tunnel"
Boris/Ivan overhead in Copenhagen. He now lives in Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Denmark.
In the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada, a zoo I have not visited yet, the polar bear habitat is part of the 10 acre Journey to Churchill area, and the viewing tunnel is called the Sea Ice Passage. The tunnel is 70 feet long, and includes an area for seals, separated by an invisible barrier from the polar bears, so here, you can still see the bears "hunt" the seals.
The bears here have all been rescued as orphans from the wild. They are females Kaska, Nanuq, Star and Willow, and males Storm and York. A new youngster, who was found by his dead mother in Churchill, has just arrived and does not yet have a name.
Below is a video from 11 years ago, that shows the underwater viewing in Assiniboine Park Zoo for the polar bears.
Click on the photo to see the video
of Abssiniboine Park Zoo bears.
In 2021, at the Detroit Zoo, cub Astra and her mother Suka having some swimming fun over the tunnel.
The experience of seeing polar bears from this extraordinary perspective is rare and quite wonderful, but of course these acrylic tunnels, a modern engineering marvel, are expensive. I never get tired of seeing polar bears swim over my head.
