Its amazing to see the amount of footage out there showing a gorilla not just females but even a silver back protect a child who has fallen into the enclosure.
This may have been different with an adult falling in, but I think I would rather take my chances with a Gorilla over a Chimp any day.
Interesting comments, thank you all. Incidentally I don't read his expression as menacing. Curious, perhaps a little suspicious of my long lens, but not really bothered because eating the last few leaves on the twig was much more important than investigating another visitor.
Incidentally I don't read his expression as menacing. Curious, perhaps a little suspicious of my long lens, but not really bothered because eating the last few leaves on the twig was much more important than investigating another visitor.
Yes, I miswrote that. No Gorilla ever looks menacing to me either.. What I meant was that some people might interpret that he looked menacing, but obviously he isn't. He is just giving you a casual glance as he snacks on his branch.
It used to be impossible but its a lot better nowadays with glass viewing panels set into several of the outside Gorillariums. Also 'Palace of the Apes' at Port Lympne has both glass windows and the grassy outdoors combined(then all you have to do is find a gorilla outside...)
It used to be impossible but its a lot better nowadays with glass viewing panels set into several of the outside Gorillariums. Also 'Palace of the Apes' at Port Lympne has both glass windows and the grassy outdoors combined(then all you have to do is find a gorilla outside...)
Sorry, Pertinax, it was a (poor) joke on my behalf, referring back to the many negative comments that these places have had from those who have not visited them.
OTE=sooty mangabey;253168]Sorry, Pertinax, it was a (poor) joke on my behalf, referring back to the many negative comments that these places have had from those who have not visited them.[/QUOTE]
I've never come across any enclosures that create such a huge volume of comment and difference of opinion on this Forum as these Howletts ones. It does seem to be a case where people who have actually seen the enclosures for themselves are almost unanimously in favour,while those who haven't aren't.
I think it would have possibly been a bloodbath , there was a recent example in africa of a lone male chimpanzee swaggering into village squares and snatching infant humans to snack on i believe the documentary was shown on the national geographic channel, i too would rather take my chances with stoic gorillas then chimpanzees which remind me of our carniverous neolithic human ancestors ,i find them quite disturbing. Incidentaly i have seen gorillas get boistrous at the Aspinall parks , i have seen them thump the bars of the enclosure very hard when there have been too many people surrounding the enclosure and irritating them. But i think this probably reflects human beings not following the very refined gorrilla etiquette of respect which means not staring directly into the eyes of a silverback which gorrillas define as a challenge and therefore respond too. I think in the hypothetical situation of a gorrila attacking a human being the violence inflicted would be minimal measured and a symbolic way of saying "Orale show me some respect muchacho!!" , but a chimpanzee would perhaps see a human being as a convenient source of protein to enjoy in the absence of any easily caught red colobus monkeys or baboons.
But i think this probably reflects human beings not following the very refined gorrilla etiquette of respect which means not staring directly into the eyes of a silverback which gorrillas define as a challenge and therefore respond too.
Do you also turn your head and just glance at a silver back? I find myself doing just that when viewing gorilla and turning my body to the side and just taking glances at them if they are close to the viewing area.
