Gorilla, Matadi, January 2014

I've had a request for a photo of Matadi. I'll see if I can do better than this on my next visit. Unless gentle lemur can oblige?!

I've just seen a photo of his mother, Ozala, on Twycross's Facebook page, celebrating her recent birthday. He does look like her, especially round the eyes.

My best shot of him has been in the Gallery for quite a while now.

I haven't had him in range recently

However he's still one of my favourite gorillas as I have seen both his parents, all four of his grandparents plus two great grandparents and two great great grandparents
I don't suppose I'm the only ZooChatter who can say this about a gorilla, but there can't be many of us

Alan

Just for fun I've listed them, from memory that is- no peeping at studbooks


Parents; Sekondi x Ozala (Twycross).

Grandparents; Mamfe x Biddy(Twycross) Samsam x Yinka(Edinburgh)

Great Grandparents; Jambo x Npongo (Jersey)

Great great grandparents; Steffi x Achilla.(Basel).

I'm hoping there may be another generation at some stage as Matadi is the only son of an only son of wildcaught parents so is important genetically on the male side.

Just so!
I have decent photos of all of them, except Sekondi unfortunately.

Matadi is also important genetically because Biddy is unlikely to have many other descendants. I heard one of the keepers talking to the public at Paignton and she said that they expected him to lead a family group one day.

Alan

Me too though not your standard I'm sure....I think we have mentioned this before but at Twycross I found Sekondi always very difficult to photograph as an adult- he would race indoors if he was outside and the inside is so dark that photography was pretty useless there. I have a couple but nothing I would term 'good'.