Bristol Zoo (Closed) Bristol zoo Gorillas Breeding loan

[Pertinax]

I can't find out much on Gorilla AI, information on the subject seems to be quite sparse.

Going back to the start I wonder if there are any photographs taken at Bristol at the time of the breeding loan? I don't know exact dates so there may be some in the gallery already.

I think you don't read much about Gorilla AI because it is so rarely successful. If it was it would be a big step forward in enabling the many 'difficult' gorillas of both sexes to better contribute to the captive gene pool.

I have photos of Eva and Asante at Bristol but they are old (film) prints. I might be able to upload a few sometime. (I haven't seen any in the Gallery).

 

[Titus]

I think you don't read much about Gorilla AI because it is so rarely successful.

I haven't found much to read unfortunately, I found some articles from which I can tell it's seldom successful but not much about what zoos have tried it and how often, things like that. Maybe Im just to curious

It would be interesting to see a picture from the time of the loan - curiosity again

 

[mhale]

I have photos of Eva and Asante at Bristol but they are old (film) prints. I might be able to upload a few sometime. (I haven't seen any in the Gallery).

I have just scanned this photo taken in June 1994. It is the only one I have of either Eva or Asante at Bristol.

 

[Pertinax]

I'm pretty sure that is Asante as Eva was bigger and had a plucked patch on the top of her head.

I happened to be there the day Eva was first put with Daniel. Initially she behaved quite boldly as she had been used to living with Mamfe at Twycross whom she was unafraid of. Despite her unusual behaviour, Daniel behaved in a very restrained fashion, even backing away when she 'faced up' to him. But when I saw them a few weeks later Eva behaved very differently and was quite frightened of him, so he had obviously put her in her place in the meantime.

Asante arrived later. She was put with Daniel & Eva (her own mother, though she had never seen her before). She spent most of the time avoiding any proximity with Daniel, by climbing up the wire where he couldn't reach her.

 

[Titus]

Thanks for sharing the photo she looks a little anxious and close to the wire ready to climb up it perhaps. No wonder she never bred if she became that scared of Daniel. A picture speaks a thousand words so they say.

 

[Pertinax]

Thanks for sharing the photo she looks a little anxious and close to the wire ready to climb up it perhaps. No wonder she never bred if she became that scared of Daniel.

Unfortunately Daniel died just a month or so after this photo, so Asante never had a chance to get fully settled with him. I rather doubt they would ever have bred, given her handraised background though.

She and Eva( by then pregnant to Daniel) were then placed with the younger male 'Jeremiah' for a few weeks before going back to Twycross, but there was even less chance of Asante/Jeremiah breeding as he was a very nonsocialised male.

 

[Titus]

I rather doubt they would ever have bred, given her handraised background though.

That's something that does makes me wonder if she will breed with Oumbie. I haven't heard of any news of pregnancies at Twycross yet and he's been there a while.

 

[Pertinax]

That's something that does makes me wonder if she will breed with Oumbie. I haven't heard of any news of pregnancies at Twycross yet and he's been there a while.

Having seen them recently, I sadly think now that it is very unlikely she will breed with Oumbie either. She has lost a lot of condition/weight since he arrived and is constantly ready to avoid him. Its really a repeat of her behaviour at Bristol though not quite so extreme.

 

[RTB1987]

Do you think it may be worthwhile her moving to the 'retirement' group and Twycross sourcing another female? I doubt the enclosure would be big enough to accommodate more than the 3 adults and maybe 1 or 2 offspring

 

[Pertinax]

Do you think it may be worthwhile her moving to the 'retirement' group and Twycross sourcing another female? I doubt the enclosure would be big enough to accommodate more than the 3 adults and maybe 1 or 2 offspring

I think its difficult for them to decide what the best course of action is for her. The sad thing is she is genetically valuable so every effort should still be made to breed from her. But I cannot see a successful outcome in the existing situation. If she moved to the other group I still doubt she would breed but she might be less stressed. (Sending her to a male elsewhere would be very unlikely to work either).