Later this year I will be at ZSL London Zoo for 1 year as I have never been before and it will be my first time. I was warned last year that Kumbuka the Silverback gorilla who likes to break and throw things and that is something I'm worried about
ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2015
- Thread starter Jedd Cullinan
- Start date
I wouldn't worry too much. Kumbuka will have been at Regents Park for 2 years in April. In this time he will have broken anything breakable and thrown anything throwable in his enclosure 
Remember that a male gorilla who doesn't assert himself in some way is never going to lead a group properly. Kumbuka may be a bit more flamboyant than some males but I wouldn't describe him as atypical (although I haven't seen him since immediately after his arrival). If there were any danger to the public, the ZSL would have moved him off show long ago. If you really are unhappy about the risk of provoking him, you can easily avoid the Gorilla Kingdom on your visit.
Alan
Remember that a male gorilla who doesn't assert himself in some way is never going to lead a group properly. Kumbuka may be a bit more flamboyant than some males but I wouldn't describe him as atypical (although I haven't seen him since immediately after his arrival). If there were any danger to the public, the ZSL would have moved him off show long ago. If you really are unhappy about the risk of provoking him, you can easily avoid the Gorilla Kingdom on your visit.
Alan
I wouldn't worry too much. Kumbuka will have been at Regents Park for 2 years in April. In this time he will have broken anything breakable and thrown anything throwable in his enclosure
Remember that a male gorilla who doesn't assert himself in some way is never going to lead a group properly. Kumbuka may be a bit more flamboyant than some males but I wouldn't describe him as atypical (although I haven't seen him since immediately after his arrival). If there were any danger to the public, the ZSL would have moved him off show long ago. If you really are unhappy about the risk of provoking him, you can easily avoid the Gorilla Kingdom on your visit.
Alan
Thanks for the Advice there but it is just that my mum wants to see the gorillas. I just hope he doesn't throw things and if he does I may will do is stand well back
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I was there just before Christmas, and Kumbuka was displaying more dominance now the group has an infant (thumping the glass mostly), but there was always a volunteer there monitoring the public and keeping an eye on how Kumbuka was behaving, and like the volunteer said, he was just showing his dominance when people got too close or started to crowd the glass, rather than getting aggressive. In particular he didn’t like the red lights from people’s cameras; he blocked the whole window when the light from one camera kept going off.
Interesting to hear he is behaving like this. In July he was just sitting quietly, ignoring large numbers of people, flash cameras etc. I saw him several times in the day and he was always completely relaxed. He is obviously taking fatherhood seriously.
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volvox
Well-Known Member
There's the usual stock-taking video on LZ's facebook page Time to stand up and be counted | Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the keeper casually mentions that the baby gorilla is a girl! Is that good??
Absolutey! A future breeding female plus the chance she'll remain within the group longer (permanently?) than a male would have.
Also seems they've decided on a name: "Aleeka" (Alika?)
Lemurs
Well-Known Member
Chill out, he's not saving a load of sticks and rocks for your mum.
I should be visiting fairly soon. Are the aye-ayes back on public display yet? Thanks.
There now an official announcement too on their FB. That is certainly good news. All they need now is a baby from 'Effie' too and they would finally be well off the ground with this group.
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volvox
Well-Known Member
I doubt whether the aye-ayes (new ones by the way) will be on display until the lemur walkthrough is completed, and they haven't started that yet! It's due to be completed by Easter. It will adjoin the western wing of the Clore so I daresay that will be renovated at the same time.
I don't see areas for Langurs or a 'village' marked on here but then not everything on here is marked- only what will apparently be the Lion area-if the symbols are to be gone by, that is. The three Lion symbols grouped together on green looks like the previous/existing enclosure roughly. The yellow/brown area seems to be the major extension.
It's a fundraising tool rather than a plan comprehensively showing the new development which I guess is why things aren't marked in detail. If this is indeed representative it look likes three island pond will be extended into the former tiger enclosure leaving a small area for the previously reported overnight accommodation for visitors. But I don't think we should read to much into the plan.
volvox
Well-Known Member
Yes, it'll be London's bachelor group plus some of Whipsnade's. It's due to be finished at Easter, though Easter is early this year... however, all London's recent building projects have been finished on time so there are excellent precedents! Will keep you posted. The spider walkthrough in BUGS is due to be finished by Easter too; not much actual building work involved there though.