CINCINNATI — A young bonobo calf at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden shared a playful moment with its mother this week, delighting visitors with a lighthearted version of the “airplane game.”

In a video shared by the zoo, the mother bonobo lies on her back and lifts her calf into the air using her feet, mimicking a familiar parent-child game seen in human families. The interaction reflects the strong social and emotional bonds central to bonobo life.

Bonobos, once called pygmy chimpanzees, are the smallest of the great apes and share 98.7% of human DNA. Known for their matriarchal structure and peaceful, cooperative behavior, bonobos live in dynamic social groups that shift frequently, a pattern known as fission-fusion.

The Cincinnati Zoo is home to 12 bonobos—eight females and four males—ranging from 5 months to 45 years old. As one of just eight U.S. facilities housing the species, the zoo emphasizes enrichment, training, and medical care to promote physical and mental well-being.

Bonobos at the zoo participate in voluntary medical training, including flu and RSV vaccinations, to reduce health risks and strengthen human-animal trust. Staff say the troop’s intelligence, emotional depth, and playful nature offer insight not only into the species—but also into ourselves.

Source: Keeper Katie/Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden