Just a little correction - but Mandji was already in the main group headed by Banjoko.
Mintha was of course, as you say, reunited with her youngest daughter Mfugaji, and Mandji with her adult daughter Nemsi, who adopted the young Kiango.
Australasian Western Lowland Gorilla Population
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Mintha was of course, as you say, reunited with her youngest daughter Mfugaji, and Mandji with her adult daughter Nemsi, who adopted the young Kiango.
Mandji was with Mintha & co in the smaller group under BaoBao until earlier this year, when she was moved over ahead of the other three to Banjoko's group, I am not sure why, but it was an easy transition and there was even a joke that because of her formidable size Banjoko refrained from confronting her! Mintha, Nemsi and Kiango were planned to be transferred about now, after the main visitor season ended, but Mintha showed anxiety, calling to the others, so they brought the move forward. It was accomplished within just a few days.
Yeah, she was integrated earlier on when Bao Bao was still alive. A member here said it was perhaps to give the older guy (Bao Bao) a break. She must be a quite a ferocious presence!
I just saw a video from Melbourne zoo that shows the new group altogether. Otana is strutting around but he is calm. Mbeli is apparently 'hooked' on him which is typical female behaviour. Kanzi has bonded with the old Frala. Johari doesn't get a mention. Sorry I don't know how to upload but I'm sure you can find it. Good news so far.
Here it is:
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/victoria/chest-beating-and-stinky-love-in-melbourne-zoo-gorilla-paradise/video/325e43ab87d99b23d5bbf69e94976331
I’m not surprised to hear Mbeli has latched onto Otana. She was devoted to Kibale; as was her mother Mouila to Kibabu. She’s an ambitious female and has clearly begun making inroads to establishing herself as Orana’s favourite female, which will be cemented once she produces the first infant of the new troop.
Kanzi had a good relationship with the older Yuska, so it comes as no surprise they’ve started to bond.
Johari conversely sounds like she’s on the fringes of the troop, which again is no surprise.
Really happy to see a successful introduction so soon between all individuals. Especially glad to see Otana's accepted all of the females thus far. I know there was concerns due to his history but he seems to have taken everything in stride thus far. The keeper even notes him calling the females to follow him into the dens which I've never seen him do before!
Mbeli's interest in him is no surprise, and you can see multiple instances of her following him in the video.
It's also very heart warming to see Kanzi has found company in old Frala who's surely appreciating the her company, especially after losing her daughter a few years ago. Frala's been in an interesting position where she's never really had female companions during her time at Taronga, so it's good to see this pair form a nice bond.
Kanzi was very very close to Yuska; I would say she spent more time with her than Kimya in Yuska's later years, so it's bittersweet for Kanzi to have another older maternal figure again.
Johari can be seen in the video a few times (eating - to no surprise). She's very food motivated, and although I wouldn't have expected her to be all over Otana like Mbeli, I would've thought she would have shown interest in Kanzi at the very least. It's still early days so who knows how things will eventuate but looking really positive thus far.
Frala had a reputation for being offhand and abrupt in Kibabu’s troop; but the zoo acknowledged this could have been due to Mouila and Kriba being related females and along with their offspring, forming the central clique of the Kibabu troop.
I always considered Frala’s move to Kibale’s troop a positive move for her as she was the middle ranking of the three adult females. She had a good relationship with Kibale and although she wasn’t his favourite female, she seemed content with her position and was focussed on her offspring.
Similarly, I believe sending Frala to Melbourne was the right decision. Had she gone to Mogo, she’d be up against Kriba and Kipenzi (mother and daughter). At least at Melbourne, she will enjoy a comfortable second ranking (again behind Mbeli) as well as positive interactions with Kanzi, who will benefit from three new females coming in.
Like so many males before him, I think Otana just needs a bevy of normal females around him for him to behave in completely normal fashion. The keeper said that there was a very pungent smell coming from him which is a sure sign of his inner excitement! I hope Johari can just keep a low profile on the outskirts, hopefully the other females will be sufficient number now to prevent any overly interest toward her from him.
I think Melbourne have the foundations of a successful troop, albeit with a single breeding female (Mbeli).
The best Johari can hope for with her lack of social skills is to be tolerated by Otana enough to remain on the fringes of the troop. She never bonded with Kibale (a model silverback), so although I believe Otana has matured sufficiently in the decade since his attack on Julia, I’m also not expecting miracles.
Kanzi will benefit immensely by observing the interactions between Otana and Mbeli. Her parents had an amicable relationship, but you’d never have said Kimya was devoted to Otana in the way many females are to their silverbacks.
Frala's never struck me as a particularly dramatic female as she seems. Obviously she was quite ambitious during her Taronga days (as would any adult female be), and came up against a brutal mother daughter trio in Mouila and Kriba who she was constantly ousted by.
Now, effectively in retirement, she gets a chance to take a step back whilst still maintaining a valuable mentoring position with Kanzi and bringing a level of social ground-ness that Melbourne's group (and Otana) really need.
I don't foresee many issues between Otana and Johari. I don't think Johari's that socially deprived too (like her own mother was, and G Ann). Probably on a similar level to Yuska, but her rather introverted nature doesn't really help. Kimya was same - very quiet and shy (hence her name). So at the very least Otana's been there done that with that type of female.
Do you know any details of Johari's handraising e.g was it in a house or at the zoo or some of both and at what age did she reconnect with other gorillas?
Johari was raised at Melbourne Zoo in a crèche with Ganyeka (born three days later) and Yakini, who had been born five months prior.
1.0 Yakini (28/11/1999) Motoba x Yuska
0.1 Johari (26/04/2000) Motoba x Julia
1.0 Ganyeka (29/04/2000) Motoba x G-Ann
The point of raising them on site at the zoo was so they could have visual contact with their troop from the beginning, with the keepers initiating tactile interactions between them and their mothers (with Yuska and Julia showing the most interest).
The three infants returned to the troop full time at weaning age, when they were no longer dependent on their keepers.
The trio were peer raised together which was a first for Melbourne, who had previously hand raised gorillas (albeit not more than one at the same time). They were raised in the zoo's nursery building, which was adjacent to the zoo's great ape grottos. This allowed them to easily be moved into the dens to still have social interactions with the other gorillas.
And of course once they were weaned, they were integrated full time with the main group (about when they were a year old).
Betsy was the female who was clearly the most maternal and she essentially raised all three babies by herself following their re-integration to the main group, although their mothers also chipped in here and there as they pleased. There's a photo somewhere on the internet of Betsy giving two of the babies a piggy back ride at the same time.
Thanks Jambo and Zoofan15 for the details of Johari's background. To me that sounds a pretty good early experience for her, she could only have had better if she had been mother-raised. I'm a bit surprised she isn't better socialised with other gorillas as a result.
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I’m of the opinion that her lack of socialisation with a silverback is the integral part here. She was seven years old when Rigo assumed leadership of her natal troop and still very much within the critical learning period (as well as only just beginning to cycle).
Johari was peer raised and was around a number of females (albeit a combination of peer and hand raised), so I think it’s worth noting that her greatest social deficiencies are around interactions with adult males/silverbacks.
It seems to me that she just has a very shy nature, and prefers to spend her time by herself, eating or resting. Kimya was much the same. Some females just aren't as socially invested. Still she does seem to have competent social skills, as do her half brothers at Werribee. I feel like they too would do well heading up breeding troops if they had the opportunity.
In her younger years Johari was a very socially active individual, hence her friendship with Mbeli during their previous time at Melbourne. It seems as Johari matured (or transferred to Taronga) she became far more independent. Hopefully being back at Melbourne in a familiar setting will help her come out of her shell more.
Johari did grow up in the troop with her father, Motaba, who was a socially competent silverback. So that's a positive in that she obviously knows how to act around a silverback; skills of which she took to Taronga successfully.
I remember she showed great interest in Rigo when he took over, however the interest wasn't really reciprocated and Rigo was really only interested in his old mate Yuska.
I'm not quite clear where the problem lies then. Was it with Otana at Melbourne (or wasn't she with him), or with the Taronga male(s)? I've known females with a lot less socialised backgrounds than her that have managed to mate and breed, even if its not been straightforward.
Johari had sufficient social skills to be tolerated by the silverback at Taronga, but that was largely due to his tolerant nature. She wasn’t an integrated part of the troop and literally lived on the fringes of the troop.
Johari was uncomfortable with the attention Kibale showed her when she was in estrus, so she was socially deficient in that regard. Even shy females like Kimya allow their silverback to mate with them.
No, Johari was never housed with Otana. She and Mbeli lived in Rigo’s troop and then transferred to Taronga Zoo the month Otana arrived (September 2013). She went straight into Kibale’s troop upon her arrival at Taronga.
Johari and Mbeli had what could be described as a friendship at Melbourne (where they lived together from Mbeli’s arrival in 2010 until their departure three years later); but Mbeli’s attentions turned to the silverback upon their transfer to Taronga and she ignored Johari from that point on.
Johari was uncomfortable with male attention, so it was her issue. Kibale was otherwise a model silverback and adored by Mbeli. Frala also had no issues with him.