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Post by panGH on Jul 26, 2011 20:15:29 GMT -5
The place for all things Gorilla!
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joan
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Post by joan on Aug 6, 2011 14:46:03 GMT -5
Howletts have an amazing collection of gorillas, between Howletts and Port Lympne they have 70+ gorillas ranging from newborn babies to females of 50+yo. It's fantastic to see them living in large family groups.
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Post by pululah on Aug 6, 2011 16:38:59 GMT -5
I didn't realise they had so many.
I had a great visit to Bristol last week and saw their gorillas fed & heard all about them. Hopefully Romina and even Salome will have babies and teach Kera how to care for them before sh has any. She came from the nursery at Stuttgart.
I'm just realising how sensitive gorillas are and how difficult to manage in captivity, possibly more than any other ape?
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Post by panGH on Aug 6, 2011 16:42:33 GMT -5
I would so love to visit the gorillas at Howletts, I heard that the great Dian Fossey herself gave them a thumbs up, which is very impressive! Howletts and Port Lympne must surely be the gorilla centre of the non-African world! The best place for gorillas I've been to was Melbourne Zoo, they don't have a huge group and haven't bred for some years, the last infant was born in 2000- but they have such amazing enclosure, so beautiful and foresty. The current silverback Rigo spent 20 years on his own  I think due to being very rough with the females when he was younger, he so far hasn't produced any offspring except for Mzuri (now named Ya Kwanza) who was by AI many years ago. The previous silverback Motaba is living in an old enclosure with his two sons Yakini and Ganyeka awaiting their new enclosure to be built at Melbourne's sister zoo, Werribee. I can't wait to see them in their new home! |
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joan
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Post by joan on Aug 7, 2011 3:39:09 GMT -5
That's a pity that Melbourne aren't breeding.
I hadn't realised that Rigo was on his own or that Ya Kwanza was his only offspring. I saw Rigo on TV and thought he's the image of Ya Kwanza who is the most magnificent silverback I've ever seen. I really hope he is happy in his new home, he was a character, loved sunbathing in his yoga poses but he didn't miss a trick, he watched all the visitors and if the girls had a spat he would move like lightning to sort it out.
Yes would love to go to Apenheul too.
Yes the Bristol group of gorillas is fantastic, would be great if Romina and Salome had more babies because they are great mothers and Kera would learn a lot.
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Post by panGH on Aug 7, 2011 4:35:26 GMT -5
I think the intention is for Melbourne to breed but so far they've had no luck, I don't think Rigo's going to father any more infants, which is a real shame. He is incredubly handsome, even by the high standards usually set by gorillas.
I would love for Romina to have another baby, it is quite a significant gap since she had Namoki. It would be great for Namoki to see an infant being brought up as she was very young when Salome had Komale.
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Post by pululah on Aug 7, 2011 16:23:57 GMT -5
They may try Romina on Clomid because she isn't cycling properly. It worked for Salome!
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Post by panGH on Aug 7, 2011 17:03:45 GMT -5
I didn't know that! I hope all goes well with their breeding attempts, they are a lovely group.
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Post by pululah on Aug 7, 2011 17:13:43 GMT -5
The keeper said their 'island is an acre, he said it doesn't look it but when he's cleaning up it feels big!
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joan
Infant
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Post by joan on Aug 8, 2011 14:23:29 GMT -5
Bristol is a very attractive island, I like that the plants are edible, there are a lot of different things for them to climb and sit on, they are a very active group.
They used to allow the De Brazza monkeys come across and I would often see 1 actually in the gorilla house but they stopped that because the gorillas played too rough with the monkeys.
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Post by panGH on Aug 11, 2011 1:04:25 GMT -5
I do like the island at Bristol Zoo, I wish the indoor areas were bigger though, as I'm under the impression that Jock spends most of his time inside.
They used to have monkeys (the species has escaped my mind at the moment!) in with the gorillas at Melbourne Zoo many years ago, I believe one of the monkeys was actually killed by the silverback, Motaba as they had been aggravating him. It could definitley be quite dangerous to mix monkeys in with gorillas I would think because of the size difference. Adelaide Zoo had a mixed species primate exhibit (not gorillas though!) that was quite shortlived, one of the siamangs had his arm broken by an orangutan.
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joan
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Post by joan on Aug 11, 2011 5:25:33 GMT -5
I used to visit Bristol zoo every month before petrol prices went crazy and would spend hours at the gorillas and Jock often goes outdoors and like all silverbacks is surprisingly agile. I've often seen him on the climbing frames though never on the tree which the others use a lot. I've even seen Salome drag a bread tray up the tree and sit on the bread tray in a cleft in the tree, though she usually sits on a tray at the base! The youngsters rarely sit still though they do like cuddles from their mothers!
That was a pity about the Adelaide Zoo Siamang/orangutan not working out because in Jersey and San Diego the gibbon/orangutan combination has been very enriching to both species. I've seen the Jersey White Handed gibbons George and Hazel hold their own with a large group of very active Sumatran orangutans.
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Post by panGH on Aug 11, 2011 21:12:02 GMT -5
He must be quite a sight to see on the climbing frame! I've only visited twice sadly, and both times Jock was indoors except when they were being fed.
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Post by pululah on Aug 12, 2011 18:23:50 GMT -5
Yes the gibbons and orangs do well together in Chester. The female who lives now with the Borneans has been seen in a hammock with one of the orangutans. I've seen the young Sumatrans & gibbons mutually winding each other up. Poor Padang when he first went to Prague was very lonely and was getting VERY friendly with the gibbons.
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joan
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Post by joan on Aug 17, 2011 1:56:27 GMT -5
I'm sure most of us have seen Nico and his late companion Samba on the TV series Animal Park. He has just turned 50 which makes him one of the oldest gorillas in captivity. Longleat took the decision not to get him a new companion because Nico has a history of aggression and Samba with whom he spent his childhood was the only other gorilla that he got along with. Initially when Samba died, Nico grieved terribly for her and was very angry with the keepers as if he blamed them. However after a while he calmed down and was more relaxed than he had ever been, perhaps because he didn't have to protect Samba. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2026574/Nico-Europes-oldest-gorilla-unimpressed-50th-birthday-present.html |
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I think due to being very rough with the females when he was younger, he so far hasn't produced any offspring except for Mzuri (now named Ya Kwanza) who was by AI many years ago. The previous silverback Motaba is living in an old enclosure with his two sons Yakini and Ganyeka awaiting their new enclosure to be built at Melbourne's sister zoo, Werribee. I can't wait to see them in their new home!