Robbie
FACTS ABOUT ME
Born: January 20, 1994
Name: Robbie
Sex: male
Companion: Dianne
Favorite Food: Cantaloupe (but he’s a good eater in general)
Favorite Activity: Watching every move the caregivers make when they are preparing gibbon meals in the kitchen- he has a special section of the aerial chute that gives him a perfect view of his next meal
MY STORY
Robbie was born here at IPPL. His mother was E.T. who came from a New York laboratory as a baby along with her elderly parents, Penny and Blackie. When E.T. matured, she was paired with Nicholas, a former zoo gibbon, and they had Robbie, who was a beautiful baby. Penny, who was living alongside E.T. at the time Robbie was born, adored babies and actually kidnapped baby Robbie once! Fortunately, staffers were eventually able to persuade her to relinquish the baby and return him to E.T.’s care.
Today, Robbie is a very active and confident adult gibbon. He will follow the animal care staff as they roll the food cart along the sidewalk under his aerial runway and will lie down and stick his arms through, asking for an early snack. Our caregivers almost always oblige and Robbie will take the food politely and sprint through his runway to enjoy the snack before his mate Dianne can steal it from him. Robbie does have a bit of a naughty streak in him and has been known to reach out and grab the food cart if it is left too close to his enclosure, quickly stuffing his mouth with as much food as he can before he is discovered!