Is he holding a mirror he's been given or is it positioned outside the enclosure? (it looks like the former.)
IMO the hessian sacking slung all around the indoor enclosure is a bit of an eyesore and restricts viewing too. I know its done to give them a feeling of privacy/security but something more natural-looking might be preferable.
Is he holding a mirror he's been given or is it positioned outside the enclosure? (it looks like the former.)
IMO the hessian sacking slung all around the indoor enclosure is a bit of an eyesore and restricts viewing too. I know its done to give them a feeling of privacy/security but something more natural-looking might be preferable.
The mirror is probably chained to the wall. Certainly attached in some way.
I think with the crowds that Gorilla Kingdom gets anything to aid privacy is justified. Certainly at various points in the day Kumbuku was displaying and thumping the glass very vigorously.
Saturday was the first time I have seen the gorillas really use the outside. I wish they could do something to the bare trunks to provide more cover. Another question I have is what is the long term plan for gorillas at London? Is there space to add more females? Presumably Zaire is beyond breeding age.
Also, in response to the question about behaviour, I didn't see him interact with the image, touch his face or similar. You can see from the angles that at this point he wasn't even looking at his own image.
I think with the crowds that Gorilla Kingdom gets anything to aid privacy is justified. Certainly at various points in the day Kumbuku was displaying and thumping the glass very vigorously.
Another question I have is what is the long term plan for gorillas at London? Is there space to add more females? Presumably Zaire is beyond breeding age.
London is the only place I know that use this particular style (the hessian sacking). Like many Gorilla exhibits it suffers from poor design- a too-small inside display area they use most of the time and a much larger outdoor area that tends to be far less used because of weather/cover. If Kumbuka is displaying a lot it will be because of the new baby. Any forms of screening for privacy aren't going to be very effective here while people can still get close to them.
I think there is just about room for one additional female at ZSL. If they extended the indoor area then they could probably take more than one. But I imagine the group will just stay as it is for now, especially while there is a young baby in the group.
