As you said already if a new silverback does not make his impression in the first year in a new group, he never will.
grantsmb,
It gets even better with the gorillas at Beauval. Both Inge and Sheila are pregnant and due in 2008!
As you said already if a new silverback does not make his impression in the first year in a new group, he never will. Other examples for this are Amsterdam Zoo (new male Akili after 2 unsuccesful males and all 3 resident females pregnant within the year) and Apenheul (new male Jambo, a little young perhaps but already 2 females pregnant by him within a year).
This is what usually happens but there are other examples; Buzandi in Hannover needed more time to gain the respect of the females and now he is a fabulous family father who is breeding with 4 females.
Beauval had evil has to have babies gorillas with Yangu but now there it is a success.
For those which want news on the zoos in France, I am the webmater of a web site index.
For information, there are more 200 zoos in France
are the only back rhino in france at pont scorf and the only indian rhino at cerza?
aled look here under foocus there are a few pictures of the plans for the vincennes zoo