Lowland gorillas in Europe #2

Lowland gorillas in Europe #2
07-08-2008

M'Tonge, born at Apenheul and later transferred to Gaia Park, Kerkrade, is now a handsome blackback male living alone back at Apenheul while awaiting transfer to Poland. It seems he is to join the 3 males at Opole Zoo, can anyone confirm this?

07-08-2008

It is thrue he will move to Poland (on 28. August or a little bit later, I think), but not to Opole. There is a brand new ape house in Waszawa opening on 28.8., and they have agreed to house a small gorilla bachelor group - M'Tonge, Boulas/UK and Azizi/CH.

10-08-2008

Good news from Duisburg - my cousin jsut sent me an email that he saw a newborn baby gorilla when he visited last week, mother is Safiri, father Mapema. Great news since Mapema is Ya Kwanza`s only surviving offspring and Ya Kwanza himself is the only son of wildborn Rigo /Melbourne.

10-08-2008

Great news, Just wondering was Ya Kwanza formely called Mazuri. I thought Ya Kwanza / Mazuri was a very succesfull Silverback fathering allot of gorillas at Jersey. Have they all passed away? Pertinax???

11-08-2008

Yes Ya Kwanza = Mzuri.

He has not been very sucessful as breeding male in Jersey, this has been discussed on this board in length.. he sired just 2 offspring, male Mapema who is now the breeding male in Duisburg/Germany and a female who died in the age of 4 years in 2007, very sad. He lives with 4 females in Jersey but he is breeding with just one (can`t remember her name at the moment). That he is not mating the other females may be caused by the circumstances of his introduction into the Jersey troop; he was not fully mature then and the older females didn`t like him (that usually happens when a young blackback is introduced to an established group), but the female he is breeding with was in his age and became first his playmate and then later his favourite. Strangly, he is not breeding with the second young female of the group, Melbourne-born Bambouti, although she was young when she came to Jersey. I don`t know if he is mating her or not, though.

Some here think it would be the best to move him to an all-male group, I think he should be kept with the female he breeds with and since he is so important genetically I would try and intoduce a new young female with him (preferred one who is not related to Jersey`s Jambo!). For the 3 other females with whom Ya Kwanza is not breeding, they should get a new male, certainly.

11-08-2008

Ya Kwanza's breeding partner is Hallali Kahilli(HK for short...) she is Jambo x Npongo and facially looks very like Npongo (as do all N'Pongo's children)

I was very surprised YK did not breed with Bambuti- she was younger than he but apparently he's not interested- apparantly the older females Kishka & Sakina also solicit his attention but he doesn't respond. He's a very odd case

Last year he had a testicle removed- but maybe he will still breed with HK again.

11-08-2008

Yes, great news. Rigo/Yuska now have a great grandchild.

Mapema only left Paignton last October so has only been with Duisburg's females just over nine months- 'Safira' must have concieved virtually the first mating...

22-08-2008

Not sure if it has already been posted here - the famous silverback Matze from Frankfurt Zoo has been euthanized about a week ago. He was 51 and the oldest male gorilla in captivity worldwide. He had bad arthritis and could hardly move despite high amounts of painkillers, so the zoo made the decision to end it.

oldest gorillas in Europe.
22-08-2008

The three oldest Gorillas in Europe are all females; Fatou & Gigi at Berlin (1957 & 1959), & Goma at Basel(1959) The oldest European males now are; Nico 1962(Longleat) Fritz 1963 (Nurnberg) Joe 1963(Twycross).

23-08-2008

Hi, can you tell me the origin zoos for bioparc gorillas 1.2 (breeding group) i hope, and 1.1 coming soon, singles group, thanks!

23-08-2008

How many babies has Ya Kwanza / Mzuri sired and what did they die off?

23-08-2008

YK has fathered two, both by the Jersey born female Hallali Kahilli- firstly male Mapema now living at Duisburg and then his younger sister Ya Pili who died from a virus infection quite recently, aged about 4. There was also a stillbirth in between, hence the large age gap.

24-08-2008

Male; Mambi, born Twycross. came from bachelor group in La Boisierre France.
Female; Dorle, born Frankfurt, came from Duisburg.
Female Fossey, born Frankfurt, came from Frankfurt.

[Dorle and Fossey are halfsisters, same father(Matz)]

'Dorle' is an older animal who came with the old male 'Catou' from Duisburg planned as 1.1 non- breeders. Catou soon died so Dorle(I believe) has been placed with the other two? I don't know if the plan is to add another younger female and give Dorle a fresh partner to again give them 1.1. nonbreeders , or leave them as a single group now.

02-09-2008

M'Tonge is still in Apenheul, saw him last Saturday.
One of the females - sorry forgot her name - is expecting a baby any moment!

02-09-2008

Today, September 2, M'Tonge is transported to Warsaw, Poland to be a part of a bachelor group.