Does anyone have access to information concerning the very early Gorillas at Howletts? Three of the females from that era (Juju, Mouila, Baby Doll) are still alive. However several other of the early Gorillas died very young and there's little information about them or about the very first male Kulu(who came from Basel) and who tragically died aged 12 before he could start breeding.
Howletts Wild Animal Park Howletts First Gorillas.
- Thread starter Pertinax
- Start date
If you can get hold of it 'the best of friends' written by John Aspinall could help alot,its a superb book!
i will check it out for you
Also try this...
http://www.gorilla-haven.org/jrdavis-gorilla-studbook/
It is an informal but very good Gorilla Studbook for all around the world
It could be rather useful for this subject and others
As i am myself interested in the Aspinall Tigers/Gorillas this could be a useful and very interesting thread
Regards
i will check it out for you
Also try this...
http://www.gorilla-haven.org/jrdavis-gorilla-studbook/
It is an informal but very good Gorilla Studbook for all around the world
It could be rather useful for this subject and others
As i am myself interested in the Aspinall Tigers/Gorillas this could be a useful and very interesting thread
Regards
In the JR davies studbook it is given that Kulu dies at Port Lympne. So he died at Howletts.
What are the other gorillas he had in his early days?
Within one mile from my house is the site of the animaldealer where he got his gorillas. The housing is still there.
What are the other gorillas he had in his early days?
Within one mile from my house is the site of the animaldealer where he got his gorillas. The housing is still there.
As I'm old enough to remember the early 1970s (fairly clearly at least 
) I can contribute a little here. I can't remember when I first heard about Mr Aspinall and his gorillas, but around 1972 I attended a meeting in Oxford when he gave a brief address and showed a film of his animals (tigers, wolves and wild boar, as well as gorillas). Shortly afterwards he published an account of his gorillas in an early issue of 'The Ecologist' magazine - I did have a copy, indeed I may still have it and I will look for it. 'The Ecologist' was owned by his friend Sir James Goldsmith. That article would give you a lot of the information you want.
I have found my leaflet from my first visit to Howletts on the 23rd of June 1974, which is a folded foolscap sheet of paper roneoed in blue ink. It gives a full list of the collection, with 6/6 gorillas including the adult males Gugis and Kisoro. I have some photos of one of them in the original 'gorillarium', now occupied by Kouillou's group. At that time, part of the space was separated off for the 3/5 chimps mentioned in another thread. I will try to scan this sheet and one or two of my photos for the gallery.
Alan
) I can contribute a little here. I can't remember when I first heard about Mr Aspinall and his gorillas, but around 1972 I attended a meeting in Oxford when he gave a brief address and showed a film of his animals (tigers, wolves and wild boar, as well as gorillas). Shortly afterwards he published an account of his gorillas in an early issue of 'The Ecologist' magazine - I did have a copy, indeed I may still have it and I will look for it. 'The Ecologist' was owned by his friend Sir James Goldsmith. That article would give you a lot of the information you want.I have found my leaflet from my first visit to Howletts on the 23rd of June 1974, which is a folded foolscap sheet of paper roneoed in blue ink. It gives a full list of the collection, with 6/6 gorillas including the adult males Gugis and Kisoro. I have some photos of one of them in the original 'gorillarium', now occupied by Kouillou's group. At that time, part of the space was separated off for the 3/5 chimps mentioned in another thread. I will try to scan this sheet and one or two of my photos for the gallery.
Alan
Joining the thread 
MARK
Well-Known Member
Thats right, this book has all the early history of the Howletts Gorillas and some photos, I have a copy myself
Thats right, this book has all the early history of the Howletts Gorillas and some photos, I have a copy myself
I don't have a copy but have read it in the past and I don't think, apart from the life and death of the first male 'Kulu,' that it mentions too many details about the earliest history of his gorillas- or does it? ( I may be wrong)
The Gorillas Galore studbook Howletts Listings starts with the three old females still there and doesn't list any of the ones that died very early on. At least a couple of his first Gorillas died long before there were any studbooks.
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Thanks- the 'Ecologist' article might well provide the information.
I saw 'Gugis' a number of times.He was '2nd in line' in the original group and took over as silverback when Kulu died. He features in the 'Best of Friends' book too. He was rathher a sly male and I don't think they went in with him when he was adult. I remember an anecdote in the Book about how they escaped once and they got them back in by holding live squawking chickens toward him, which he was scared of! He mated regularly but never had offspring and died of pneumonia when he was 18. There is a bronze statue of him (well its supposed to be him) by the wall at the end of the kitchen garden enclosures.they
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The 'Gorillas Galore' info on 'Kulu' is innaccurate. He was never at Port Lympne. Also he was nearly 12 years old when he died(not 3) and I think his death was later than 1961- more like 1967. He was obtained from Basel Zoo who originally got him as a companion for the first European-born baby 'Goma' who was handraised. 'Kulu' was older and too rough for her,she was born 1959 so he was probably born in 1955-8.(He is mentioned very briefly in Dr Lang's book about Goma, the Baby Gorilla) So he was passed on to John Aspinall and a younger male 'Pepe' replaced him as companion for Goma..
As for what other gorillas he had in the early days, that is what I am trying to find out as I think there were some others which didn't live long. Very interesting that some of his Gorillas came from an animaldealer near you. Was this Van Den Brink?
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I believe Aspinall's first gorilla was a male named Kivu - he was acquired in 1958 but died shortly afterwards. Others who didn't make it past 1970 were Kulu (M, 1961-1967), Dingi (F, ? - 1967), Moundou (F, ? - 1967) and another female who arrived and died in 1967.
The following is extracted from 'The Best of Friends' , published 1976 , which does have a lot of information about the gorillas , about 50 pages !
Kulu died late summer 1967 , he had arrived from Basle 6 years earlier and weighed an impressive 320 pounds . He wasted away with no reason for this being found . A week after his death 8 year old female Dinghi was taken ill and also wasted away and died , on post mortem she was found to have a massive intestinal infestation of strongyloides .
Not long after a two year old female baby that had been brought back from the Cameroons by John Aspinall went down with a form of mouth fungus . To keep her company adolescent Moundou who was their most maternal female was introduced . Unfortunately Moundou also contracted this same rare form of stomatitis and both died within days of each other .
John Aspinall understandably felt guilty after these deaths and decided to employ a full-time resident veterinary surgeon rather than relying on the non-specialist local vets .
The book lists the 16 gorillas in the collection in 1976 . Of the 8 males I think 7 are dead - Gugis , Kisoro , Mumbah , Bitam , Toumbi and Kijo . I do not know if Koundou who went to Chicago LP in 1980 as part of the Kisoro deal is still alive . Of the 8 females Kimba died accidentally in 1977 and the oldest Shamba has died but I suspect the other 6 - Mouila , Baby Doll , Ju Ju , Mushie , Founa and Sidonie are all still alive .
Amongst the many gorilla portraits in the book there is a lovely photo of a young Kijo on page 63 as well as several of him with mother Ju Ju . I like the finformation that the 3 oldest male gorillas Gugis , Kisoro and Mumbah plus chimp Bustah were given a can of beer twice a week . The 3 gorillas each had a different method of extracting the beer .
Kulu died late summer 1967 , he had arrived from Basle 6 years earlier and weighed an impressive 320 pounds . He wasted away with no reason for this being found . A week after his death 8 year old female Dinghi was taken ill and also wasted away and died , on post mortem she was found to have a massive intestinal infestation of strongyloides .
Not long after a two year old female baby that had been brought back from the Cameroons by John Aspinall went down with a form of mouth fungus . To keep her company adolescent Moundou who was their most maternal female was introduced . Unfortunately Moundou also contracted this same rare form of stomatitis and both died within days of each other .
John Aspinall understandably felt guilty after these deaths and decided to employ a full-time resident veterinary surgeon rather than relying on the non-specialist local vets .
The book lists the 16 gorillas in the collection in 1976 . Of the 8 males I think 7 are dead - Gugis , Kisoro , Mumbah , Bitam , Toumbi and Kijo . I do not know if Koundou who went to Chicago LP in 1980 as part of the Kisoro deal is still alive . Of the 8 females Kimba died accidentally in 1977 and the oldest Shamba has died but I suspect the other 6 - Mouila , Baby Doll , Ju Ju , Mushie , Founa and Sidonie are all still alive .
Amongst the many gorilla portraits in the book there is a lovely photo of a young Kijo on page 63 as well as several of him with mother Ju Ju . I like the finformation that the 3 oldest male gorillas Gugis , Kisoro and Mumbah plus chimp Bustah were given a can of beer twice a week . The 3 gorillas each had a different method of extracting the beer .
Is it a fantastic book was given it for Christmas i was so busy reading it every night!
its got some amazing pictures.
Very informative on methods and how the rust was formed between them only certain people have this.
Shame John Aspinall died, he could be the world of good for Modern Day Zoo's.
He was definately my hero.
its got some amazing pictures.
Very informative on methods and how the rust was formed between them only certain people have this.
Shame John Aspinall died, he could be the world of good for Modern Day Zoo's.
He was definately my hero.
A small correction: the late (and unlamented) James Goldsmith helped to finance 'The Ecologist', but it was actually edited by his brother Teddy. There is an on-line archive on his website which will eventually contain all the early issues, but I'm afraid this article isn't there yet.
Some time ago I downloaded a version of Aspinall's article 'The husbandry of gorillas in captivity' from 1980, which no longer seems to be available on-line. In it he states that 20 gorillas had been imported into his group since 1958; 8 had died and 9 had been born. I'm sure many ZooChatters have this article too, but PM me if you would like a copy.
Alan
It seems the early deaths were males Kivu & then later Kulu, and the females Dinghi, Moundu and the unnnamed baby.
I believe in Kulu's case that when he became sick Aspinall had to go abroad and when he returned 'Kulu' had become a 'dessicated hulk' and was dying in front of his eyes. MY very first visit there was the year after he died I think. I know the keeper told me that Moulia had aborted a foetus, so, if that is true, their breeding programme was put back 8 years because of his death.
Mumbah a.f.a.i.k is still alive at Columbus where he has never bred, which leaves a question mark over his ability at Howletts too. Also the two Howletts-bred males Koundu and Kambula which went to the States. The 6 females you name are all still alive.
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GorillaFollower
Well-Known Member
Hi Gentle Lemur,
Was wondering if you also had a copy of the Howletts booklet circa 1989ish with a small photo of Kouillou at the back, would love to see some of the gorillas photos of that time, that was when I first visited there.
If anyone has a copy, would love to hear from you.
Cheers
Was wondering if you also had a copy of the Howletts booklet circa 1989ish with a small photo of Kouillou at the back, would love to see some of the gorillas photos of that time, that was when I first visited there.
If anyone has a copy, would love to hear from you.
Cheers
I have found some of my old Howletts shots from 1974 and I have some more from the early '80s, which I will have to find. I don't think I visited again until 2002, when I also went to Port Lympne for the first time (not very long after Torgamba the Sumatran rhino left 
).
One of these days, when I get a little spare time, I will scan some of these slides for the Gallery.
Alan
).One of these days, when I get a little spare time, I will scan some of these slides for the Gallery.
Alan
GorillaFollower
Well-Known Member
Cheers, that would be great if you get a chance. It is so funny to see the shots of the gorillas when they were youngm but of course to see the animals that have died since. I don't know whether you know Kouillou ( one of the rescued Congo group) who has his own group now, I have known him for about 20 years and early photos show his cheekiness then which he has carried through into downright charm in his 20s. It must have been interesting in 1974, were there any gorillas then?
I don't know the rhinos well, my pal used to look after them at Port Lympne, she left about 1 year ago. Some were brought to the wild I beleive, you would know more about that than me.
I will look forward to the photos when you have the odd moment to scan them,
I don't know the rhinos well, my pal used to look after them at Port Lympne, she left about 1 year ago. Some were brought to the wild I beleive, you would know more about that than me.
I will look forward to the photos when you have the odd moment to scan them,