pˈoʊɡoʊ wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti ˈeɪt, ɪnðə ɹˈeɪnfˌɔːɹɪsts ʌv fɹˈɛntʃ kˌæmɚɹˈuːn,  wˌɛɹ ʃiː wʌz pˈɑːɹt əvə ɡɚɹˈɪlə tɹˈuːp ðæt ɪŋklˈuːdᵻd bˈiːwˈɑːnə, ɐ ɡɚɹˈɪlə hˌuː wʊd ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli fˈaɪnd hɪz wˈeɪ tə ðə zˈuː ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti nˈaɪn.
Pogo was born in 1958, in the rainforests of French Cameroon,  where she was part of a gorilla troop that included Bwana, a gorilla who would eventually find his way to the Zoo in 1959.