Australasian Western Lowland Gorilla Population

[Zoofan15]

I believe the biggest hurdle for both Gorillas and Orangs is the fact the lack of holders within the region the largest blow in my view was that Adelaide has now changed its mind with its master plan not to include Gorillas. If they, Perth and even the Sydney zoo where to hold them the picture could be a lot better, It seems not that long ago both Taronga and Melbourne zoos had both wonderful breeding groups, unfortunately now they find themselves utterly reliant on wether they can now import some new females from some European zoos that are willing to let them go.
I wonder how far the species planning goes into the future? in any case a long term plan needs to be worked out.
Another missed opportunity was Australia zoo not following up on their plan of becoming another holder in the region the picture could have been a whole lot brighter if it had gone ahead!

You’re correct and as a result, succession within our region’s population has been poor with only a handful of Australasian bred female infants that have survived to breeding age; been retained; and gone on to breed:

0.1 Bambuti (1994): Exported 2001
0.1 Unnamed (1999): Died 1999
0.1 Johari (2000) Behavioural non-breeder
0.1 Mbeli (2003): 2.0 offspring
0.1 Kimya (2005): Died 2025; 0.1 offspring
0.1 Kipenzi (2011): 1.1 offspring
0.1 Kanzi (2015)
0.1 Fikiri (2019): Died 2023
0.1 Kendi (2025)

With regards to long term plans:

Taronga’s plans will depend on whether they want to continue with plans (currently on hold) to build a complex and acquire a breeding troop. To be honest, I can see them remaining a bachelor holder.

If Mogo acquire Johari, that will give them four adult females (two of which are young females). They’d be in a good place for the foreseeable, with continued breeding.

If Melbourne acquire Frala, they’d be at a crossroads when she passes of whether to bring in a new female. This could tie in with Kendi at Mogo reaching dispersal age and transferring out of her natal troop.

Due to lack of availability, I don’t foresee imports for any of the above during the next decade or so.

 

[Zorro]

You’re correct and as a result, succession within our region’s population has been poor with only a handful of Australasian bred female infants that have survived to breeding age; been retained; and gone on to breed:

0.1 Bambuti (1994): Exported 2001
0.1 Unnamed (1999): Died 1999
0.1 Johari (2000) Behavioural non-breeder
0.1 Mbeli (2003): 2.0 offspring
0.1 Kimya (2005): Died 2025; 0.1 offspring
0.1 Kipenzi (2011): 1.1 offspring
0.1 Kanzi (2015)
0.1 Fikiri (2019): Died 2023
0.1 Kendi (2025)

With regards to long term plans:

Taronga’s plans will depend on whether they want to continue with plans (currently on hold) to build a complex and acquire a breeding troop. To be honest, I can see them remaining a bachelor holder.

If Mogo acquire Johari, that will give them four adult females (two of which are young females). They’d be in a good place for the foreseeable, with continued breeding.

If Melbourne acquire Frala, they’d be at a crossroads when she passes of whether to bring in a new female. This could tie in with Kendi at Mogo reaching dispersal age and transferring out of her natal troop.

Due to lack of availability, I don’t foresee imports for any of the above during the next decade or so.

The off-spin from the resent elephant "moveathon" is it leaves Taronga, Auckland, Melbourne and Perth with land areas which does not often become readily available. Elephants are possibly the main draw cards in many zoos and this alone leave a vacuum of having a very popular species gone that really needs to be filled with another "crowd puller", Gorillas are properly in the top 3 most want to see animals to many of the visiting public,It would make perfect sense and the opportunity for a major zoo to promote the Gorillas to be the main draw with a new modern up to date exhibit, at the end of the day elephant are literally going to be big shoes to fill!

 

[Zoofan15]

The off-spin from the resent elephant "moveathon" is it leaves Taronga, Auckland, Melbourne and Perth with land areas which does not often become readily available. Elephants are possibly the main draw cards in many zoos and this alone leave a vacuum of having a very popular species gone that really needs to be filled with another "crowd puller", Gorillas are properly in the top 3 most want to see animals to many of the visiting public,It would make perfect sense and the opportunity for a major zoo to promote the Gorillas to be the main draw with a new modern up to date exhibit, at the end of the day elephant are literally going to be big shoes to fill!

Very true. Extending the savannah exhibits at Perth, Auckland and Adelaide will bring in no extra visitors. They’d all be much better off in investing in gorilla exhibits (as was Adelaide’s original plan).

It’s clear gorillas are one of Taronga’s biggest draw cards (never more so when there’s infants and juveniles in the troop) and if they no longer have plans to build the Congo precinct, then an opportunity has surely been missed.

It’s been obvious for a while that the region will need to manage its own surplus of males; but the lack of available females is a recent revelation that has necessitated the merging of two troops. I am at least confident this will be sufficient in generating the required numbers for exchange over the next two decades. In the meantime, hopefully a new holder will emerge.

 

[Zorro]

Very true. Extending the savannah exhibits at Perth, Auckland and Adelaide will bring in no extra visitors. They’d all be much better off in investing in gorilla exhibits (as was Adelaide’s original plan).

It’s clear gorillas are one of Taronga’s biggest draw cards (never more so when there’s infants and juveniles in the troop) and if they no longer have plans to build the Congo precinct, then an opportunity has surely been missed.

It’s been obvious for a while that the region will need to manage its own surplus of males; but the lack of available females is a recent revelation that has necessitated the merging of two troops. I am at least confident this will be sufficient in generating the required numbers for exchange over the next two decades. In the meantime, hopefully a new holder will emerge.

We often hear that the European and American zoos are at "capacity" as they apparently are with Gorillas, Brazilian Tapirs and Indian rhinos yet little of this excess seems to find its way to our shores?, I am a little lost as to the real reason this appears to be so!

 

[Zoofan15]

We often hear that the European and American zoos are at "capacity" as they apparently are with Brazilian Tapirs and Indian rhinos yet little of this excess seems to find its way to our shores?, I am a little lost as to the real reason this appears to be so!

I too have noticed this and was advised it’s because Europe has a surplus of male gorillas and a deficit of females. There’s no (ethical) way to ensure only female infants are bred and reared, so rather than take the chance the infant will be a male nobody wants, breeding is simply restricted. As a consequence, there’s less males and females produced - not unlike the situation Australasia is in.

What I have noticed is more creativity around how troops are managed. Male infants are now routinely castrated, with total confidence they will never be required for breeding. This enables them to remain in their natal troop as opposed to the scenario we had before where their father wants them gone by the time they reach 10-12 years. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Australasian zoos look at this in the future once it’s been tried and tested in Europe.

Silverbacks will inevitably need to be replaced in troops so the introduction of a new male to Prague’s troop was interesting as it was an example of an incoming silverback tolerating the presence of a castrated male adolescent. More examples of this would give confidence this will be a viable option going forward as it otherwise largely defeats the purpose of castration.

 

[Zorro]

I too have noticed this and was advised it’s because Europe has a surplus of male gorillas and a deficit of females. There’s no (ethical) way to ensure only female infants are bred and reared, so rather than take the chance the infant will be a male nobody wants, breeding is simply restricted. As a consequence, there’s less males and females produced - not unlike the situation Australasia is in.

What I have noticed is more creativity around how troops are managed. Male infants are now routinely castrated, with total confidence they will never be required for breeding. This enables them to remain in their natal troop as opposed to the scenario we had before where their father wants them gone by the time they reach 10-12 years. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Australasian zoos look at this in the future once it’s been tried and tested in Europe.

Silverbacks will inevitably need to be replaced in troops so the introduction of a new male to Prague’s troop was interesting as it was an example of an incoming silverback tolerating the presence of a castrated male adolescent.

I have been following the Australian Gorilla sene for decades and to me both Sydney and Melbourne zoos were the two big guys as far as Gorillas were concerned but the way it appears now even they are dwindling away over time unfortunately

 

[Zoofan15]

I have been following the Australian Gorilla sene for decades and to me both Sydney and Melbourne zoos were the two big guys but the way it appears now even they are dwindling away over time unfortunately

The Kibabu troop was magnificent. It’s fair to say that Taronga Zoo imported the troop (then 10 strong) at its height in 1996, with the females all breeding at natural birth intervals up until their import:

Kibabu (Silverback)
Mouila: Bauwi (1990), Haoko (1993), Shabani (1996)
Kriba: Joas (1989), Kijivu (1993), Safiri (1996)
Frala: Kukuma (1989), Shinda (1991), Anguka (1994)

Frala’s short lived infants (born 1998 and 1999) temporarily brought troop numbers up to 11 gorillas, which remains a regional record.

Unfortunately, all six infants/juveniles imported from Apenheul (of which four were female) had placements lined up in Europe and Asia and were exported as adolescents. All six have gone on to breed successfully.

The troop produced a further six infants between 2003-2011, with the three females all going on to breed in Australian zoos.

 

[Jambo]

You’re correct and as a result, succession within our region’s population has been poor with only a handful of Australasian bred female infants that have survived to breeding age; been retained; and gone on to breed:

0.1 Bambuti (1994): Exported 2001
0.1 Unnamed (1999): Died 1999
0.1 Johari (2000) Behavioural non-breeder
0.1 Mbeli (2003): 2.0 offspring
0.1 Kimya (2005): Died 2025; 0.1 offspring
0.1 Kipenzi (2011): 1.1 offspring
0.1 Kanzi (2015)
0.1 Fikiri (2019): Died 2023
0.1 Kendi (2025)

With regards to long term plans:

Taronga’s plans will depend on whether they want to continue with plans (currently on hold) to build a complex and acquire a breeding troop. To be honest, I can see them remaining a bachelor holder.

If Mogo acquire Johari, that will give them four adult females (two of which are young females). They’d be in a good place for the foreseeable, with continued breeding.

If Melbourne acquire Frala, they’d be at a crossroads when she passes of whether to bring in a new female. This could tie in with Kendi at Mogo reaching dispersal age and transferring out of her natal troop.

Due to lack of availability, I don’t foresee imports for any of the above during the next decade or so.

The death of Fikiri really threw a spanner in the works regarding regional succession. Without her, Taronga were essentially left with just a single viable female who (due to her representation), wasn't likely to breed that much.

Had she survived, I still think Taronga would have sent her down to Melbourne, alongside her mother and Mbeli. And Melbourne would have had the opportunity to have an additional breeding female on board. Likewise, it's easy to see had Kimya not passed; this move still occurring. And Melbourne could have had potentially five females - three breeding (a number similar to the old troop from the 2000's).

Another benefit of acquiring Johari is that Mogo will still have an additional adult female come the eventual passings of Kriba and G Ann. If they went and acquired Frala, they could eventually be in a position where they're left with just Kisane, a middle aged Kipenzi and her offspring.

 

[Jambo]

Due to lack of availability, I don’t foresee imports for any of the above during the next decade or so.

We often hear that the European and American zoos are at "capacity" as they apparently are with Gorillas, Brazilian Tapirs and Indian rhinos yet little of this excess seems to find its way to our shores?, I am a little lost as to the real reason this appears to be so!

I too have noticed this and was advised it’s because Europe has a surplus of male gorillas and a deficit of females. There’s no (ethical) way to ensure only female infants are bred and reared, so rather than take the chance the infant will be a male nobody wants, breeding is simply restricted. As a consequence, there’s less males and females produced - not unlike the situation Australasia is in.

I haven't really noticed a deficit of females born lately in Europe so to speak. There have been relatively equal birth rates - out of the adolescents surviving today born from 2015 onwards; there are 49 males and 48 females from my count.

The problem is: they're reaching a point where bachelor holdings are becoming full. Only so many holders can come on board - and the problem with gorilla bachelor groups especially is the difficulty in adding members to said groups. Unlike other species ie. elephants, where individuals can be added/substituted over time as desired, gorillas don't necessarily take well to accepting newcomers. For that reason, each bachelor group formed has to effectively remain together for the entirety of their lives. Which is a very long time - male gorillas can live into their 50's.

Alas, zoos are countering that problem with castration allowing the males to remain within their maternal groups. But this is a problem in itself. This consequently means there's limited space for further breeding/additional females due to space constraints. And the more supervised breeding is having an affect on us being able to get our hands on any surplus females.

 

[Zoofan15]

The death of Fikiri really threw a spanner in the works regarding regional succession. Without her, Taronga were essentially left with just a single viable female who (due to her representation), wasn't likely to breed that much.

Had she survived, I still think Taronga would have sent her down to Melbourne, alongside her mother and Mbeli. And Melbourne would have had the opportunity to have an additional breeding female on board. Likewise, it's easy to see had Kimya not passed; this move still occurring. And Melbourne could have had potentially five females - three breeding (a number similar to the old troop from the 2000's).

Another benefit of acquiring Johari is that Mogo will still have an additional adult female come the eventual passings of Kriba and G Ann. If they went and acquired Frala, they could eventually be in a position where they're left with just Kisane, a middle aged Kipenzi and her offspring.

Fully agree. Fikiri (2019-2023) was an immense loss to the breeding programme. Had Taronga proceeded with plans to build the gorilla complex as part of the Congo precinct, then a swap of Fikiri and Kanzi would have been the most likely outcome in my opinion (with Taronga’s adolescent males accommodated on site as a bachelor troop).

Had Fikiri survived, she’d be six years old and approaching the age she and Frala could have joined Melbourne’s troop. Melbourne could have then bred Otana with Mbeli and Fikiri in the coming years.

I think Johari could be an asset to Mogo’s troop. G-Anne seems to be thriving in their troop and being one of four adult females, Johari would feel less pressure from the attentions of the silverback than she would at Melbourne. Considering one silverback has twice proven his intolerance of socially deficient females; and one has accepted the integration of one of said females to his troop, I really don’t know why they’d risk introducing Johari to Otana. The media would have a field day if something went wrong, no doubt making the link to the incident with Julia.

 

[Zoofan15]

I haven't really noticed a deficit of females born lately in Europe so to speak. There have been relatively equal birth rates - out of the surviving adolescents surviving today born from 2015 onwards; 49 males and 48 females have been born.

The problem is: they're reaching a point where bachelor holdings are becoming full. Only so many holders can come on board - and the problem with gorilla bachelor groups especially is the difficulty in adding members to said group. Unlike other species ie. elephants, where individuals can be added/substituted over time as desired, gorillas don't necessarily take well to accepting newcomers. For that reason, each bachelor group formed has to effectively remain together for the entirety of their lives. Which is a very long time - male gorillas can live into their 50's.

Alas, zoos are countering that problem with castration allowing the males to remain within their maternal groups. But this is a problem in itself. This consequently means there's limited space for further breeding/additional females due to space constraints. And the more supervised breeding is having an affect on us being able to get our hands on any surplus females.

I would define a 50:50 gender ratio as a deficient of females as the preferred ratio would be at least three females for every male. Like you say, the bachelor facilities are at capacity and so one male for every female is too many at this point.

It will be interesting to see the evolution of our region’s population from this point on with regards to bachelor holdings. Unfortunately it appears Orana are content to continue with two males (opening up the second exhibit for gorillas and acquiring Taronga’s males would have been invaluable to the region). Werribee similarly will continue with their three males as you advised last week, but statistically, will be the first troop up for renewal due to the ages of their males.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Mogo retain Kaius and build a bachelor troop around him in years to come. There’s limited options for him otherwise and due to his popularity, I can see the zoo investing in retaining him - if not on site; then building a bachelor facility at Hunter Valley.

 

[Zorro]

Fully agree. Fikiri (2019-2023) was an immense loss to the breeding programme. Had Taronga proceeded with plans to build the gorilla complex as part of the Congo precinct, then a swap of Fikiri and Kanzi would have been the most likely outcome in my opinion (with Taronga’s adolescent males accommodated on site as a bachelor troop).

Had Fikiri survived, she’d be six years old and approaching the age she and Frala could have joined Melbourne’s troop. Melbourne could have then bred Otana with Mbeli and Fikiri in the coming years.

I think Johari could be an asset to Mogo’s troop. G-Anne seems to be thriving in their troop and being one of four adult females, Johari would feel less pressure from the attentions of the silverback than she would at Melbourne. Considering one silverback has twice proven his intolerance of socially deficient females; and one has accepted the integration of one of said females to his troop, I really don’t know why they’d risk introducing Johari to Otana. The media would have a field day if something went wrong, no doubt making the link to the incident with Julia.

I believe its Ironic that a small private regional zoo has now become a strong hold for having a breeding group of Gorillas in the country while both major zoos troops appear in decline, its wonderful to see their complete dedication to these animals!

 

[Zoofan15]

I believe its Ironic that a small private regional zoo has now become a strong hold for having a breeding group of Gorillas in the country while both major zoos troops appear in decline, its wonderful to see their complete dedication to these animals!

The Mogo troop is thriving, with its second infant in just over years. They’ve worked hard to achieve an integration of Kaius and I applaud them for their success in doing so. They’ve clearly prioritised his social development and welfare above all else and the result is he’s now found a surrogate mother in Kriba, no doubt enriching her life after unsuccessful attempts to breed with her prior to Kipenzi breeding.

If Mogo receive Johari, I’ll be interested to see if she successfully breeds. Taronga and Melbourne wouldn’t be open to hand-raising great apes, but Mogo would surely activate a similar plan to what they did with Kaius.

 

[Jambo]

I would define a 50:50 gender ratio as a deficient of females as the preferred ratio would be at least three females for every male. Like you say, the bachelor facilities are at capacity and so one male for every female is too many at this point.

It will be interesting to see the evolution of our region’s population from this point on with regards to bachelor holdings. Unfortunately it appears Orana are content to continue with two males (opening up the second exhibit for gorillas and acquiring Taronga’s males would have been invaluable to the region). Werribee similarly will continue with their three males as you advised last week, but statistically, will be the first troop up for renewal due to the ages of their males.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Mogo retain Kaius and build a bachelor troop around him in years to come. There’s limited options for him otherwise and due to his popularity, I can see the zoo investing in retaining him - if not on site; then building a bachelor facility at Hunter Valley.

In the past, American zoos have encountered a significant sex ratio imbalance, I believe at one point in the 80s/90s they had 100 males to about 60 females born. A huge difference that ultimately led to them experimenting with some of the world's first bachelor groupings.

I'd hope at least one more bachelor facility would come on board. The recommendation has always been to have at least one bachelor facility for a breeding facility, but these days with the way breeding is going and the even sex ratios it seems even more may be required.

At the moment, we only have two - although as has been acknowledged, Mogo do have a second exhibit that they could hold a bachelor troop in. With Taronga also effectively becoming a bachelor group for the foreseeable, I think our regions in good shape to be able to breed more often going forward. New imports would be great to support this - especially as Melbourne and Mogo will essentially only have one female breeding each.

 

[Zoofan15]

In the past, American zoos have encountered a significant sex ratio imbalance, I believe at one point in the 80s/90s they had 100 males to about 60 females born. A huge difference that ultimately led to them experimenting with some of the world's first bachelor groupings.

I'd hope at least one more bachelor facility would come on board. The recommendation has always been to have at least one bachelor facility for a breeding facility, but these days with the way breeding is going and the even sex ratios it seems even more may be required.

At the moment, we only have two - although as has been acknowledged, Mogo do have a second exhibit that they could hold a bachelor troop in. With Taronga also effectively becoming a bachelor group for the foreseeable, I think our regions in good shape to be able to breed more often going forward. New imports would be great to support this - especially as Melbourne and Mogo will essentially only have one female breeding each.

It’s certainly a stark contrast to the 1970’s where nearly every gorilla infant born (male or female) went straight into a breeding situation; with the same applying for almost all female infants born throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. It’s unfortunate that due to their polygamous social structure and the number of males that were either infertile or behavioural non-breeders that the global captive population has relatively few founders compared to other great apes.

I hope Frala can breed again (either at Mogo or Melbourne) as every other breeding female is otherwise a direct descendant of Bongo/Mouila. While sired by Bongo, Frala at least represents Mintha’s line, adding a shred of genetic diversity to the Australasian population. Unless one of Orana’s males dies prematurely, I don’t envisage either of them breeding in the future; and Fabumi will be settled in Taronga’s troop for the foreseeable.

 

[Jambo]

It’s certainly a stark contrast to the 1970’s where nearly every gorilla infant born (male or female) went straight into a breeding situation; with the same applying for almost all female infants born throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. It’s unfortunate that due to their polygamous social structure and the number of males that were either infertile or behavioural non-breeders that the global captive population has relatively few founders compared to other great apes.

I hope Frala can breed again (either at Mogo or Melbourne) as every other breeding female is otherwise a direct descendant of Bongo/Mouila. While sired by Bongo, Frala at least represents Mintha’s line, adding a shred of genetic diversity to the Australasian population. Unless one of Orana’s males dies prematurely, I don’t envisage either of them breeding in the future; and Fabumi will be settled in Taronga’s troop for the foreseeable.

Fabumi will likely be the male who will be transferred into a breeding situation (assuming his father is essentially retired at this point). Whilst Taronga's complex isn't small, I doubt it would be fit for four adult males in the long term (even if they have run of both the larger and smaller exhibit).

In the event Fabumi does enter a breeding situation though - I doubt it would be in Europe. Regionally, if Taronga wishes to expand their current complex, they could afford to import females for him but that would depend on overseas availability by that point. I guess another option is to consider sending him across to Asia. Taronga previously sent two of their males (Haoko and Shabani), to Japan to head up troops there.

 

[Zoofan15]

Fabumi will likely be the male who will be transferred into a breeding situation (assuming his father is essentially retired at this point). Whilst Taronga's complex isn't small, I doubt it would be fit for four adult males in the long term (even if they have run of both the larger and smaller exhibit).

In the event Fabumi does enter a breeding situation though - I doubt it would be in Europe. Regionally, if Taronga wishes to expand their current complex, they could afford to import females for him but that would depend on overseas availability by that point. I guess another option is to consider sending him across to Asia. Taronga previously sent two of their males (Haoko and Shabani), to Japan to head up troops there.

Fabumi’s best chance of going into a breeding situation would be for an opportunity to open up within Australasia. He’s only 10 years old, so time is on his side. This could be an opportunity presented to him 15 years from now, giving him sufficient time to mature socially as has been the case for several males throughout Europe.

Werribee’s next bachelor troop will likely come from Melbourne bred males, so unless a new holder emerges, it would only be likely to happen if Taronga proceed with a new gorilla complex in the next 10-15 years.

I also wouldn’t entirely discount Monarto. They have plenty on the table to keep them busy for the next 5-10 years; but beyond that, gorillas would be an obvious aspiration looking at their African centric collection. No other facility in South Australia has gorillas, so they’d be a strong drawcard. I could foreee them building a spectacular complex with their available space.

 

[Zorro]

Fabumi’s best chance of going into a breeding situation would be for an opportunity to open up within Australasia. He’s only 10 years old, so time is on his side. This could be an opportunity presented to him 15 years from now, giving him sufficient time to mature socially as has been the case for several males throughout Europe.

Werribee’s next bachelor troop will likely come from Melbourne bred males, so unless a new holder emerges, it would only be likely to happen if Taronga proceed with a new gorilla complex in the next 10-15 years.

I also wouldn’t entirely discount Monarto. They have plenty on the table to keep them busy for the next 5-10 years; but beyond that, gorillas would be an obvious aspiration looking at their African centric collection. No other facility in South Australia has gorillas, so they’d be a strong drawcard. I could foreee them building a spectacular complex with their available space.

I wonder if Taronga has considered that if they build a new Congo precinct and a brand new exhibit for Gorillas that they could still keep the current one to hold any Bachelors?

 

[Zoofan15]

I wonder if Taronga has considered that if they build a new Congo precinct and a brand new exhibit for Gorillas that they could still keep the current one to hold any Bachelors?

The original plans outlined plans for two new exhibits (bachelor and breeding troop), so they probably would have gone with that model, expanding onto the site of Gung’s old exhibit (a large, flat expanse of land). The existing exhibit is a little dated, though is arguably suitable for the four males it will soon be holding.

I remain of the opinion the Congo precinct would have been a great investment for the zoo.

 

[Abbey]

Massive news re the gorilla transfer. I'm presuming opportunities for import have been exhausted, and if that is the case, then I think it's the right call - albeit I'm a little saddened that Kibale's troop is being broken up. While it's not out of the question for Taronga to resume holding a breeding troop in the future, it is the end of an era for now.

From Jambo's information, it sounds like Johari is being transferred to Melbourne - although I agree with other posters that it's still a possibility that Mbeli and Frala are going to Melbourne, which would likely necessitate Johari's transfer to Mogo, because that seems to make a lot of sense. Leaving Taronga with the males, plus one female, doesn't seem like a viable solution, and Mogo seems like a likely destination for the remaining female.

A reason why not could be if Frala is no longer cycling (or there is generally doubt around her reproductive health) and therefore it is feared that Otana wouldn't accept her as a post-reproductive female. I don't know whether or not this would be a genuine concern. There's a risk in transferring Johari to Melbourne, although she would likely be reuniting with some keepers who would have knowledge about how to work with her effectively - from speaking with someone who has worked with her at Taronga, she's a fairly different personality.

If Johari did transfer to Mogo, I agree there is a greater capacity she could breed. I would be concerned whether or not that is merely repeating the cycle (while it's wonderful Kaius is alive, it's yet to be determined how 'socially normal' he will be as an adult in terms of breeding), although I understand most of the reason she hasn't bred is because she finds silverback attention overwhelming due to her handraised background. Taking her off contraception to get her pregnant (at Mogo or Melbourne) may simply not be worth the risk.

Certainly interesting times for the region's gorilla population. I await to see what will happen and I trust the zoos will keep us informed when the transfers take place.