This gorilla habitat reminds me of the one at Los Angeles Zoo, except that the Saint Louis exhibit is much more lush, green, and probably larger. I believe that Saint Louis was the first zoo in North America to display a bachelor group of gorillas (late 1980's), but can anyone confirm that?
This gorilla habitat reminds me of the one at Los Angeles Zoo, except that the Saint Louis exhibit is much more lush, green, and probably larger. I believe that Saint Louis was the first zoo in North America to display a bachelor group of gorillas (late 1980's), but can anyone confirm that?
Yes, they were the first zoo to form a bachellor troop. From their website:
The Zoo's Western Lowland Gorillas have had an outdoor yard since Jungle of the Apes was built in 1987. St. Louis was the first zoo to form a gorilla bachelor group, and currently has a group of bachelor gorillas. Wild gorilla males may choose to live in an all-male group if too young or unable to assume leadership of a family group. In 1998 the American Zoo and Aquarium Association gave the Saint Louis Zoo a Significant Achievement Award for its long-term success in forming an all-male group of gorillas.
