Honolulu Zoo welcomes Bono as companion for female gibbon

Was it love at first sight?

It’s hard to say, but the Honolulu Zoo says there are positive signs that its resident female white-handed gibbon, Japan, is taking to her new male companion, Bono, who was recently brought over from California.

Bono, 42, has already moved into the shared gibbon habitat, where the pair can be observed by visitors, the zoo announced today in a news release.

Bono recently arrived at Honolulu Zoo from the Santa Barbara Zoo. Japan, 48, has called the Honolulu Zoo home since 1982.

Both gibbons outlived their previous mates, officials said, and are now considered seniors. In the wild, white-handed gibbons typically form lifelong monogamous bonds, so the zoo said it is honored to offer the pair the possibility of a new chapter together.

“We’re thrilled to welcome