Zoo d'Amneville Gorillas arrive

Has anyone visited to see what the Gorilla exhibit looks like and if so can we see some pictures.
 
If you look at the Youtube video above, it shows the interior enclosure. Another video on the list at the side briefly shows them outside too.

Another of these videos shows ex Jersey silverback Ya Kwanza lying on a rock slab and you can see what appears to be a bare patch on his neck, indicating he has started to pluck himself. In fact, that's what he is doing in the video- pulling hairs from his head and eating them.
 
Anymore information of Ya Kwanza ? So he was born in 1984 at Melbourne, but when he was sent to europe, to jersey, then to Les Valles the Singes and now Amneville ? Has he ever bred?
 
Bib Fortuna said:
Anymore information of Ya Kwanza ? So he was born in 1984 at Melbourne, but when he was sent to europe, to jersey, then to Les Valles the Singes and now Amneville ? Has he ever bred?
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http://gorillasland.yolasite.com/ya-kwanza.php

YA KWANZA

Sex: M

Birthdate: June 3rd 1984

Birthplace: Melbourne Zoo

Capture date: captive born

Dam / Sire: Yuska / Rigo*

Transfers:
June 3rd 1984 / June 18th 1993: Melbourne Zoo
June 18th 1993 / July 20th 2011: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
July 20 th 2011 / February 21st 2012: La Vallée des Singes
February 21st 2012 / now: Zoo d'Amnéville
 
Ya Kwanza's only surviving offspring is male, Mapema. He was born at Jersey to Hlala Kahilli in April 1996. He went to Paignton in 2003 before being moved to Duisburg in October 2007. He's now an established breeding male with several offspring :)

Ya Kwanaza and Hlala Kahilli also had a daughter after Mapema but sadly she didn't survive
 
Did he spend all of his time at Jersey as the group silverback? Or was he replaced but kept separate within the collection? One birth in 18 years isn't very many.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
Did he spend all of his time at Jersey as the group silverback? Or was he replaced but kept separate within the collection? One birth in 18 years isn't very many.
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He was Jersey's only silverback - a new male wasn't bought in until after Ya Kwanza left in 2011. There were several factors as to why they didn't have much breeding success during that time but I'm sure Pertinax can fill in the details
 
Nisha said:
There were several factors as to why they didn't have much breeding success during that time but I'm sure Pertinax can fill in the details
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I never really found out exactly why Ya Kwanza only bred with Halali Kahill and none of the others in the group. Variously I've been told they didn't like him, or that he didn't like them.:confused: I suspect his background had a lot to do with it.

Having been handraised at Melbourne, he wasn't the best choice as a breeding male but was picked because of his genetic credentials. Introduced while still only a young blackback male to a group of mainly older females previously led by Jersey's silverback Jambo, would also have made it harder for him to successfully dominate the group too. He chummed up with Halali as she was the nearest to his age. Play led to mating between them and there were actually several (6?)conceptions over the years, though only two, Mapema and the young female which later died, were actually live-births. He did not breed with any of the other females and was finally moved out and replaced with the current male. (During his tenure YK also had an operation to remove a suspect testicle though it did not affect his fertility with Halali after that).

Ya Kwanza was the only silverback during his tenure at Jersey. The current male came from Vallee de Singes after he left.
 
Thank you Guys for this Gorilla-Info.I guess, Ya Kwanza was send to a bachlor group because he wasn't a good breeder.Maybe Halali Kahill was his favourite female, so thats why he bred only with her and not with the other females, this happens also often with elephants and equids.

The gorilla family tree in europe is indeed very nice-so now I have a bit more background info on the silverback at Duisburg-a good example for the breeding situation, because their former male never bred with any female.

Does anybody know the current group splitting at Amneville ? They have two bachlor groups with five and three males in diffrent age.
 
Pertinax said:
Play led to mating between them and there were actually several (6?)conceptions over the years, though only two, Mapema and the young female which later died, were actually live-births.
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Thanks for the info! Has Mapema bred? Presumably she now carries the same valuable genetic status.
 
Bib Fortuna;878168 Maybe Halali Kahill was his favourite female said:
Male Gorillas often have a favourite female but it doesn't normally preclude them mating/breeding with other females in the group. In Ya Kwanza's case I think there was some other factor at work too.
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Bib Fortuna said:
Does anybody know the current group splitting at Amneville ? They have two bachlor groups with five and three males in diffrent age.
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I believe Ya Kwanza is in the group with 4 younger males, and the other three form the second group.
 
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