I will post the full article when the Erie Times-News posts it tomorrow, but I thought I would share this. ____________________________________________ The gorilla and the rabbit: a tale of friendship at the Erie Zoo By ERICA ERWIN, Erie Times-News The Erie Zoo's lowland gorilla Samantha, left, shares her space with Panda, a Dutch rabbit, at the zoo in Erie on March 8. GREG WOHLFORD//ERIE TIMES-NEWS They're an odd pair. The female half is quiet and aloof, imposing even as she approaches a half-century of life. The other is just a boy still, tiny with a twitchy nose and a propensity to hop around like young boys do. Samantha and Panda. The gorilla and the Dutch rabbit. Erie Zoo officials introduced the two in mid-February after deciding that Samantha, a 47-year-old western lowland gorilla, ought to have a companion. She's been without any other presence in her exhibit since Rudy, a male gorilla, died in 2005 at 49. Those two never did interact much; Sam was hand-raised and relates more to humans than to other gorillas. Now she's too old and fragile to be paired with another gorilla, zoo officials said. But she needs the same thing any human does: a friend. Read more in Friday's Erie Times-News and GoErie.com. The gorilla and the rabbit: a tale of friendship at the Erie Zoo
Full Article on Samantha & Panda The gorilla and the rabbit: a tale of friendship at the Erie Zoo By ERICA ERWIN, Erie Times-News The Erie Zoo's lowland gorilla Samantha, left, shares her space with Panda, a Dutch rabbit, at the zoo in Erie on March 8. GREG WOHLFORD//ERIE TIMES-NEWS They're an odd pair. The female half is quiet and aloof, imposing even as she approaches a half-century of life. The other is just a boy still, tiny with a twitchy nose and a propensity to hop around like young boys do. Samantha and Panda. The gorilla and the Dutch rabbit. Erie Zoo officials introduced the two in mid-February after deciding that Samantha, a 47-year-old western lowland gorilla, ought to have a companion. She's been without any other presence in her exhibit since Rudy, a male gorilla, died in 2005 at 49. Those two never did interact much; Sam was hand-raised and relates more to humans than to other gorillas. Now she's too old and fragile to be paired with another gorilla, zoo officials said. But she needs the same thing any human does: a friend. Panda is safe and small, no threat to the gorilla. He's something for her to watch and touch. "To have something sharing their space that they can observe and interact with is always going to be beneficial," zoo Director Cindy Kreider said. Zookeepers started slowly. Panda was moved to an area close to Samantha's night quarters. Then keepers held her up to Samantha for inspection. Panda was let into the exhibit by herself to get the lay of the land. Finally, he was let in while Sam was in there, too -- with an escape hatch for the rabbit, just in case. "Right off the bat, they hit it off," Kreider said. Scott Mitchell, the zoo's chief executive, recalled a time shortly after the two were introduced when Panda hopped up to Samantha's beloved Baby, a stuffed toy gorilla. Know this: No one messes with Baby. Samantha "pushed the baby out of the way so Panda could go by," Mitchell said. Another time, she scratched underneath Panda's chin. She shares her food. She reaches down to touch Panda, gently. "It was amazing to see," Mitchell said. "And the reaction from the public has been amazing, too. People are intrigued by it. They like the fact that she has a companion." Samantha has never been aggressive toward Panda. A younger gorilla might have been a different story, but keepers spend a lot of time with Sam and know her personality. Still, Mitchell admits to having been a little nervous when the two were first introduced. He needn't have worried. "He's fearless," Mitchell said of Panda. "He's not threatened by her. More often they're closer together than they are farther apart." On Thursday, Panda nibbled and dug through hay while Samantha munched on kale and stolen rabbit food pellets. Samantha sat in one corner as Panda hopped along the exhibit's edge, near the window. Finally, he hopped next to her, and they sat, together, the aging gorilla and the tiny rabbit with the pale pink nose. The gorilla and the rabbit: a tale of friendship at the Erie Zoo
Samantha is honored by ARBA Erie Times-News article: ____________________________________ Rabbit breeders recognize Erie Zoo gorilla-bunny duo By ERICA ERWIN, Erie Times-News Where the gorilla goes, the little rabbit follows. It's been like this since the Erie Zoo paired Samantha, a 47-year-old western lowland gorilla, with Panda, an energetic Dutch rabbit, as roommates earlier this year. "Panda was almost in her lap this morning," said Scott Mitchell, the zoo's chief executive. The gorilla, it seems, is more than tolerant of her tiny male roommate. On Wednesday, the American Rabbit Breeders Association Inc. presented Sam with a certificate recognizing her "great compassion as a responsible rabbit caregiver and friend," and granting her honorary membership in ARBA. The certificate is an adaptation of a formal ARBA membership card. "Samantha doesn't carry a wallet or purse, so I decided to give her a framed certificate as opposed to the traditional membership card," said Eric Stewart, executive director of the 21,000-plus-member national rabbit breeders group. Stewart said the Illinois-based organization wanted to highlight the odd couple to draw attention to ARBA's mission and the importance of responsible pet ownership. Families often buy rabbits near the Easter holiday but are sometimes unprepared for the responsibility required, he said. The rabbits are sometimes abandoned or taken to shelters. "A lot of times people look at rabbits as disposable, and they're really not," he said. In addition to the certificate, Stewart brought with him ARBA's "Official Guide to Raising Better Rabbits & Cavies" and an issue of its Domestic Rabbits magazine. Samantha appeared unmoved by the honor. "I think she's so accustomed to attention," Stewart said. "At this point, she's probably going to want to quietly read her (membership) material." Zookeepers paired Samantha and Panda in mid-February because they thought the aging gorilla needed companionship. She's been without any other presence in her exhibit since Rudy, a male gorilla, died in 2005 at the age of 49. Samantha didn't interact with Rudy much and is too old and frail to be paired with another gorilla now. Mitchell said he is amazed by the global attention the zoo has received since the story of the unique pairing was published March 9 in the Erie Times-News and on GoErie.com and was then picked up by the Associated Press. Mitchell has done interviews with the BBC, National Geographic Kids magazine, and People magazine. The story spread on Twitter and was featured on ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer." "Everywhere I go, people stop and ask me about it," Mitchell said. "The odd coupling really intrigues people." As a crowd of children and parents gathered in front of the exhibit Wednesday afternoon, Samantha lumbered away from the glass. Panda hopped to catch up. Rabbit breeders recognize Erie Zoo gorilla-bunny duo | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News
