Bristol Zoos female 'Romina' has sadly died after being euthansed for an inoperable tumour. She had several claims to fame, so here's a brief History of Romina;
Born in Rome Zoo in 1980, Romana, as she was first called, was the only offspring of w/c parents Bongo & Cica. She had a rather unusual early rearing, being partly mother-raised and partly handraised, at one stage being left with her mother in the daytime and taken away at night. (Later it appeared she was removed altogether and became a 'celebrity' zoo baby) A mate (Bongo 2) was later acquired for her and the pair grew up together in Rome Zoo.
In 2001 after many years growing up and living in a substandard enclosure, they were both moved to Bristol Zoo in UK. Romina was soon found to have cataracts in both eyes, badly affecting her vision. Her poor eyesight also meant she used a forefinger to 'feel' her way around. Successful and ground-breaking operations removed both cataracts, so fully restoring her vision. The story of how her sight was regained made her quite famous for a while.
in 2003, after a change of partners and the arrival of male Jock from London, she gave birth to her only baby, a female Namoki. Despite her socially-deprived upbringing, she proved a good mother and reared Namoki very well. Namoki is now in Belfast Zoo where she has also bred.
Although she had no more offspring herself, in 2016 she again made the headlines when she successfully adopted the female baby of another female in her group, after a caesarian section and subsequent rejection by the baby's own mother Kera. Although she couldn't feed Afia, she was a protective foster mother in every other way. This successful adoption was the first case of its kind to have taken place in Europe.
{Note from mods - this thread continues here: Lowland Gorillas in Europe 2019}
