Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Goodbye Gina

How sad :( But how lucky she was to have spent most of her life at such a wonderful zoo. That's her on my avatar - acting as though she was half her age last year, bless her.
 
Gina's death comes out of the blue rather, and as a bit of a surprise at this time. It was only a few weeks ago they press-released news that they had discovered she was in a post-menopausal state, as they had actually been considering whether to allow her to breed again- or not. She evidently decided the issue for them.

She was certainly diminutive physically, but it sounds as if what she lacked in size she made up for in character. I regarded her there as very much a well-known fixture of the zoo, rather like the Orangutan equivalent of the Gorillas 'Jambo' and (later) 'N'Pongo'.
 
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Sad news indeed. Post mortem examination revealed an inter-cranial hemorrhage. Gordon found her in her usual nest, in her usual sleeping position, with normal bowel movement in her den and absolutely no signs of distress, thankfully. She looked like she was still sleeping. To say it was a shock was an understatement, she'd been absolutely active and even seemed brighter after her recent dental work.

I agree about her being a feature member, certainly she was legendary amongst keepers and students, for both her fiery temper and her love of being combed!

We're all going to miss her immensely.
 
Rick J said:
We're all going to miss her immensely.
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I will too- I remember her and her little (Bornean) partner Giles as new arrivals. Still have the postcard of them together on the white bench....;) She's always been a must-see on all my visits too.
 
Pertinax said:
I will too- I remember her and her little (Bornean) partner Giles as new arrivals. Still have the postcard of them together on the white bench....;) She's always been a must-see on all my visits too.
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They came in together, I am informed. Do you remember Tunku (their hybrid offspring)? Jeremy Mallinson informs me that he considered them too young to mate – but they surprised him!

Yes, she has been legendary in so many ways. She grabbed my shoulder once (through the mesh), and I had to sweet-talk her for what felt like 10 mins to get free – she just looked into my eyes and blew raspberries.
 
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Rick J said:
They came in together, I am informed. Do you remember Tunku (their hybrid offspring)? Jeremy Mallinson informs me that he considered them too young to mate – but they surprised him!
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Yes I do, and yes they did! If I remember correctly plans were already in hand to re-partner them each with a mate of the correct species(then subspecies) but they beat the Zoo to it by producing a baby. Gina was later paired with Sumatran Gambar from ZSL, and Giles with Jersey's original female Bornean 'Bali'.

I had thought Gina might get to equal the longevity of the Sumatran female 'Puan' at Perth Zoo who (if still alive) is now estimated to be 61 years old, but sadly it wasn't to be.
 
Rick J said:
She grabbed my shoulder once (through the mesh), and I had to sweet-talk her for what felt like 10 mins to get free – she just looked into my eyes and blew raspberries.
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I remember (imperfectly :o) hearing at the Orang Talk some years ago that someone from the zoo had gone in with them and not been allowed out until they decided he could leave!

Rick - your input on Zoochat is greatly appreciated. Durrell's openness with information is admirable, if not unique :)
 
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