Lowland gorillas in Europe 2012

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Kifaru Bwana said:
Good move as will have a fully socialised female in the Muenster group. It did wonders to my own zoo when a socially well adapted female with previous experience of her mother giving birth and raising a gorilla baby came, saw and vindicated everyone. She subsequently raised her own .. and thus let both handreared females see how it is done. I expect she will be a model female for the Muenster group.
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I agree. And according to the zoo's article everything's going fine with her introduction - Shasha is already good friends with 5 yo male Thabo, and she always looks for the company of silverback N’Kwango. They say, she's got "a crush" on him. — Allwetterzoo Münster - News September 2012 - Gorillaweibchen Shasha (in German, use Google Translate).

What's your home zoo, Kifaru, and who is the female you mentioned?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Good move as will have a fully socialised female in the Muenster group. It did wonders to my own zoo when a socially well adapted female with previous experience of her mother giving birth and raising a gorilla baby came, saw and vindicated everyone. She subsequently raised her own .. and thus let both handreared females see how it is done. I expect she will be a model female for the Muenster group.
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How got the experience of motherraising in the groups of The Howletts, and The Apenheul?
 
Willard said:
. And according to the zoo's article everything's going fine with her introduction - Shasha is already good friends with 5 yo male Thabo, and she always looks for the company of silverback N’Kwango. They say, she's got "a crush" on him.
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No doubt this is because 'Shasha' has that most valuable ingredient in captive Gorillas- 'good group experience'.:) Also she is a good age for transferring to a new group and females in the 6-12 age range typically have a big attraction toward a new male- the 'crush' scenario. Likewise a silverback often gets along easily with a new young female who 'knows her place';).

On the other hand was the failed introduction of 'Sakina'- a much older female who was used to a more dominant role in her home group at Jersey, and seemingly refused to defer to other females and/or a 'junior' silverback, who was much younger than her, in her new home.
 
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john said:
How got the experience of motherraising in the groups of The Howletts, and The Apenheul?
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I think it is largely matter of luck. Some females are good mothers from the very start. Maybe they remember seeing mothering behaviour from their wild groups perhaps or have a stronger maternal instinct than others? From memory Howletts had to handraise some of their first babies though one young female 'Juju' was a perfect mother from the very start with her first baby (Kijo) the very first Gorilla born there, but the other three originals (Shamba, Mouila, Baby Doll who were all a bit older than her) were not. By the time they had 2nd or 3rd babies they seemed to make better mothers(to varying degrees). Once you have good mothers, other younger females can copy their example though even now a few of their females still don't mother-rear their babies and they have to handraise occassionally. I also think mother-raising ability may be at least partly inherited. Example- female Mouila at Howletts(she is still there) was a neglectful mother and most of her earlier infants were removed for handraising. Her own daughter KillaKilla (now dead) despite growing up in a group and seeing other mothers, was also a poor mother herself and rejected her several babies.

Apenheul used a baby Spider monkey to help their first(?) pregnant female(Mouila, not the same as Howletts female above) learn mothering skills before her baby was born. She was a good mother from the start but she could have been anyway- who knows. Not sure how good the other females at Apenheul were initially but they seemed to be having mother-raised babies right from the start.

At Jersey the two original females 'Npongo' and 'Nandi' each gave birth to three babies which had to be handraised, but finally by the fourth births they both got the hang of mother-raising and were successful from then on. But there are just no rules-sometimes a female you would never expect rears a baby perfectly without any previous group experience or maternal examplefrom other females. Female 'Romina' at Bristol Zoo was one such- although partly handraised and poorly socialised during all her life in Rome Zoo, where she never bred before she left in her 20's, she then reared her only daughter 'Namoki' born at Bristol without any problem and never having seen a mother or baby Gorilla before.
 
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Jersey birth.

Baby born at Jersey Zoo on 27th. Mother Hlala Kahili (born Jersey), Father Badongo (born Vallee de Singes, France) No detail of sex yet.

First birth fathered by new male 'Badongo'.
 
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"Gorillas Land"

Here is a new website that serves as an interactive database for gorillas in captivity - much like Jim Davis' inofficial studbook, but also including photos of each gorilla and some information on the zoos. There is also a news section which is updated regularly. The database is not yet complete, but the owner works hard on getting the missing pages online soon. Please have a look at the site, and be sure to also visit their Facebook page!
www.gorillasland.yolasite.com
Gorillas Land | Facebook
 
Willard said:
Here is a new website that serves as an interactive database for gorillas in captivity - much like Jim Davis' inofficial studbook, but also including photos of each gorilla and some information on the zoos. There is also a news section which is updated regularly. The database is not yet complete, but the owner works hard on getting the missing pages online soon. Please have a look at the site, and be sure to also visit their Facebook page!
www.gorillasland.yolasite.com
Gorillas Land | Facebook
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Very impressive site
 
Willard said:
Here is a new website that serves as an interactive database for gorillas in captivity - much like Jim Davis' inofficial studbook, but also including photos of each gorilla and some information on the zoos. There is also a news section which is updated regularly. The database is not yet complete, but the owner works hard on getting the missing pages online soon. Please have a look at the site, and be sure to also visit their Facebook page!
www.gorillasland.yolasite.com
Gorillas Land | Facebook
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Fantastic website thanks for sharing :)

GB
 
Lisbon has now a baby gorilla born by Anguka and Nasibu.

The sex in still unknow, as far I know.

She is being reared by the mother.

gorilabebe.png
 
gentle lemur said:
Excellent news. Nasibu is genetically very important. I hope this is a good omen for his half-brother Kumbuka when he moves to Regents Park.

Alan
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Great news.:) 'Nasibu' is ex Bristol female Delilah's only descendant, through her daughter 'Naomi' and one of very few from Samson too. I hope she can rear this baby successfully.

Although 'Nasibu' was handreared, he grew up as the youngest in the small male/female group at Kolmarden in Sweden where he was able to socialise with both sexes. I'm not sure the paternity of their two young males 'Enzo' and 'Echo' born while Nasibu was still in their group (to another female also called 'Naomi'), has ever been established beyond doubt, as its quite possible they could have been his.

Can anyone confirm if these two young males born at Kolmarden have ever been DNA tested, and if so, what it revealed about which male is the father? Was it Efata or Nasibu?
 
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21 year old Female, Benga was moved from Madrid to La Vallee des Singes during September
(Actuzoo)
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
How is integration at La Vallee going at the moment?
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Original report on Actuzoo (translated with Google)
"A gorilla made ​​his arrival the valley of the monkeys in early September 2012. It s Benga is a young gorilla 21 years came from madrid zoo to bring something new in this group of gorillas. At the moment it is not yet well accepted in the group and remains far away, but the male silverback took him under his wing and has separate group during conflicts too big"
 
Nisha said:
Its Benga is a young gorilla 21 years came from madrid zoo to bring something new in this group of gorillas. At the moment it is not yet well accepted in the group and remains far away, but the male silverback took him under his wing and has separate group during conflicts too big"
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'Banga' is hardly 'young' at 21. More like 'young middle-aged.'

If 'Yaounde' has accepted her the others are likely to fall in line sooner or later.
 
Durrell have today announced that new baby, Indigo has been sexed as a male
 
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