This area was only part of the gorilla islands, they also occupied an island next to the orangs and chimps when they were housed in the Tropical Realm. Before the red river hog, the islands were imaginatively and attractively used for buffy-headed capuchin. It's a shame the Suidae obsession has since reduced the area to a sea of mud.
This area was originally two moated enclosures which held the pair of mountain gorillas (as they were thought to be at that time). The pair of lowland gorillas lived in the old orang utan house which was called the ape house. The lowland gorillas then moved to the tropical house next to the mountain gorillas before all four either died or left. The islands were empty for a while, I think the first animals to go in there after the gorillas left were ruffed lemurs.
The pair of lowland gorillas lived in the old orang utan house which was called the ape house. The lowland gorillas then moved to the tropical house next to the mountain gorillas before all four either died or left.
The original Lowland Gorillas were Turpin(m) & Gogal (f) and then Jason with Gogal after Turpin quickly died. They lived for some years on the 'nearest' of the three chimp islands of the Tropical House. Mukisi & Noelle and the Orangutans had the two small rectangular islands on this side of the house.
Later the two Lowland Gorillas moved to the newly built Orangutan/Ape House, but Gogal briefly returned to one of the rectangular islands of the tropical house in 1977 when a new male(Jojo) was aquired on loan from Belle Vue Zoo to try to breed with them. This arrangement lasted only six months before he died in March 1978. Gogal was later sent to Bristol while Jason remained alone in the Orangutan house(Tuan's island) until he was later sent to Bristol also.
Fate of Chester Gorillas;
Western Lowland.
m. Turpin. died as juvenile at Chester.
f. Gogal. sent on breeding loan to Bristol. died there.
m. Jason. sent(at later date) on b.l. to Bristol. died there.
m. Jojo. came on loan from BelleVue(Bristol ownership)in 1977. died at Chester 1978.
Eastern Lowland.
f. Noelle died at Chester.
m. Mukisi. sent to Antwerp. died there.
This area was originally two moated enclosures which held the pair of mountain gorillas (as they were thought to be at that time). The pair of lowland gorillas lived in the old orang utan house which was called the ape house. The lowland gorillas then moved to the tropical house next to the mountain gorillas before all four either died or left. The islands were empty for a while, I think the first animals to go in there after the gorillas left were ruffed lemurs.
