Name: Nicholas
Sex: Male
Born: April 18, 1987
Favorite food: He’s not a picky eater, but like many of our gibbons he especially likes grapes, dates, and baked sweet potatoes.
Favorite activity: Drinking water from puddles (after the enclosures have been hosed, after a heavy rain, etc.).

Nicholas arrived at IPPL in April 1993. The Illinois zoo had sent him on to another zoo in the Midwest, but this other zoo returned him after just six months for some unknown reason.

Nicholas had been kept off-exhibit in an indoor unit shared with several birds of prey. Unfortunately for him, he suffered from entropion, a condition also found in humans, which causes the eyelid to turn inward. This leads to the lashes rubbing against the eye, resulting in painful irritation, scratchiness, tearing, and redness. Perhaps his being housed with birds aggravated the condition.

John McGreal drove to Illinois and returned home with Nicholas. We brought in an ophthalmologist from the Medical University of South Carolina to check his eyes. The doctor observed no irritation, but promised to come and perform surgery at no cost if the condition flared up again. Fortunately, Nicholas has enjoyed perfect health ever since.

Nicholas was paired with Elsa, one of the children of IPPL’s Arun Rangsi and Shanti. Nicholas and Elsa are very affectionate together, frequently playing with and grooming one another.