Howletts Wild Animal Park Kijo
- Thread starter gentle lemur
- Start date
taun
Well-Known Member
Just watched the video (that is Damien Aspinall & Kifu)- I reckon they still do it then...
taun
Well-Known Member
I don't speak french so am not sure if they mention the gorillas names, however this was what I was on about and what I believe was only filmed a few years ago.
YouTube - Un gorille dans la famille (2/2)
The programme called " Our child the gorilla" and is still showing on Sky
YouTube - Un gorille dans la famille (2/2)
The programme called " Our child the gorilla" and is still showing on Sky
This is another clip- this one is NOT Damien Aspinall but someone else(perhaps Amos Courage) You will notice it is NOT a silverback male he is playing with either but a much younger one- I suspect even Silverback Kifu can only be fully trusted with people he knows very well.... In some past videos you can see there is no Silverback present- depending on who is in the enclosure with them.
taun
Well-Known Member
I didn't say it was damien, this was the documentary that I believed they said that they were females. And was filmed around 2005.
I doubt it... they live in the oldest cages again (where they started off life at Howletts), with two or three youngsters but no Adult male. The staff like to be seen going in with a Silverback e.g. KIfu, and his group for the spectacle it creates.
no, no, not suggesting you did. Looks to me like a blackback male-you can usually tell by the shape of chest. All I'm pointing out is that where it is a comparative(?) stranger in the cage he isn't with a Silverback.
The other clip is Damien(longer fair hair,fawn jacket) and Kifu though.
taun
Well-Known Member
i agree they would never let a stranger in with a silver back.
They video also doesn't show all of the meeting, am sure there was another gorilla they first entered with and it was a female but was wary and never really came over becasue of the stranger.
This is just a guess but I'm wondering if the guy in blue( he is obviously not a keeper) could be Amos Courage, who is/was involved with their field projects in Gabon. Whoever it is, they're not familiar enough to trust Kifu with him. In the old videos of old Aspinall with the Gorillas, I have noticed that if there were women/children in the cage it was only with more gentle females and young. If a silverback was present then it was only with Aspinall and keepers. Probably too strong/risky for the children. Sometimes the films were cleverly cut to make it 'look' like his family was in with a complete gorilla family but they weren't really.
Guide to distinguishing females/blackback males of similar size; blackback male has a prominent pectoral 'ridge' across the chest, whereas female has more prominent teats or floppy breasts. Blackback male is leanier/lankier in shape usually where female has rounder body.
taun
Well-Known Member
He is a keeper from a zoo in france, who were looking for a "new family" for a gorilla they were hand raising.
They eventually took a silver back and too females off Damien, Howver I believe she was never risked with an introduction to this new animals and now lives with her brother.
Good info.(my guess was wrong...not Amos Courage.). The zoo was St Martin La Plaine. The gorilla was a handraised female called 'Digit'. Her father was TamTam, another male which came from Howletts in 1993. Then in 2005 Howletts/Pl sent them another trio(Kishum,Bandi & Tamiela) They have bred there too but Tamiela and her baby have died since.
As you said, the handraised 'Digit' was never put with them. Instead they got her younger brother back from a bachelor group to go with her.
taun
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the additional info
, If I remember correctly their original group was quite impressive and the new enclosure they built (considering there winters are bleak so it was a complete indoors) is a good looking enclosure. I wonder if it lasted that way.Shame they never tried to introduce her so she could have a chance of a "normal" life.
Thanks for the additional info
Shame they never tried to introduce her so she could have a chance of a "normal" life.
I think there are still two seperate groups at St Martin, both with Howlett's bred males in charge(TamTam & KIshum) Kishum's group lives in the fancy new 'exotarium' house which is all indoors,, from the photos I've seen its a bit like the indoors of ROTRA. The TamTAm group have the original old house plus a rather ordinary grassy outdoor area with high walls and fronted by a watermoat. TamTam was obtained from Howletts because their two original males (Platon and Alexis) were both humanised and didn't breed.
I think the handraised female Digit was kept with a chimp for company early on and doesn't relate to Gorillas very well. problem animal.
taun
Well-Known Member
Thats correct, she lived with them for quite some time but always slept in the owners house. He even built a specail door in house from the chimp enclosure.
The old enclosure(TamTam's group) isn't anything special from photos I have seen, but I expect they didn't feature that one...?
It is 'Kishum'. (KIjo x SHUMba)
They would never show the older shabbier enclosure where there is a fancy newer one for the filming.