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Zoo d'Amneville Gorillas arrive

Discussion in 'France' started by kiang, 14 Mar 2012.

  1. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  2. Bongo

    Bongo Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Has anyone visited to see what the Gorilla exhibit looks like and if so can we see some pictures.
     
  3. TWit894

    TWit894 Member

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    I've been there in april, but I have no pictures of the enclosure :)
     
  4. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    If you look at the Youtube video above, it shows the interior enclosure. Another video on the list at the side briefly shows them outside too.

    Another of these videos shows ex Jersey silverback Ya Kwanza lying on a rock slab and you can see what appears to be a bare patch on his neck, indicating he has started to pluck himself. In fact, that's what he is doing in the video- pulling hairs from his head and eating them.
     
  5. Bib Fortuna

    Bib Fortuna Well-Known Member

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    Anymore information of Ya Kwanza ? So he was born in 1984 at Melbourne, but when he was sent to europe, to jersey, then to Les Valles the Singes and now Amneville ? Has he ever bred?
     
  6. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    http://gorillasland.yolasite.com/ya-kwanza.php

    YA KWANZA

    Sex: M

    Birthdate: June 3rd 1984

    Birthplace: Melbourne Zoo

    Capture date: captive born

    Dam / Sire: Yuska / Rigo*

    Transfers:
    June 3rd 1984 / June 18th 1993: Melbourne Zoo
    June 18th 1993 / July 20th 2011: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
    July 20 th 2011 / February 21st 2012: La Vallée des Singes
    February 21st 2012 / now: Zoo d'Amnéville
     
  7. Nisha

    Nisha Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Ya Kwanza's only surviving offspring is male, Mapema. He was born at Jersey to Hlala Kahilli in April 1996. He went to Paignton in 2003 before being moved to Duisburg in October 2007. He's now an established breeding male with several offspring :)

    Ya Kwanaza and Hlala Kahilli also had a daughter after Mapema but sadly she didn't survive
     
  8. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

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    Did he spend all of his time at Jersey as the group silverback? Or was he replaced but kept separate within the collection? One birth in 18 years isn't very many.
     
  9. Nisha

    Nisha Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    He was Jersey's only silverback - a new male wasn't bought in until after Ya Kwanza left in 2011. There were several factors as to why they didn't have much breeding success during that time but I'm sure Pertinax can fill in the details
     
  10. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I never really found out exactly why Ya Kwanza only bred with Halali Kahill and none of the others in the group. Variously I've been told they didn't like him, or that he didn't like them.:confused: I suspect his background had a lot to do with it.

    Having been handraised at Melbourne, he wasn't the best choice as a breeding male but was picked because of his genetic credentials. Introduced while still only a young blackback male to a group of mainly older females previously led by Jersey's silverback Jambo, would also have made it harder for him to successfully dominate the group too. He chummed up with Halali as she was the nearest to his age. Play led to mating between them and there were actually several (6?)conceptions over the years, though only two, Mapema and the young female which later died, were actually live-births. He did not breed with any of the other females and was finally moved out and replaced with the current male. (During his tenure YK also had an operation to remove a suspect testicle though it did not affect his fertility with Halali after that).

    Ya Kwanza was the only silverback during his tenure at Jersey. The current male came from Vallee de Singes after he left.
     
  11. Bib Fortuna

    Bib Fortuna Well-Known Member

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    Thank you Guys for this Gorilla-Info.I guess, Ya Kwanza was send to a bachlor group because he wasn't a good breeder.Maybe Halali Kahill was his favourite female, so thats why he bred only with her and not with the other females, this happens also often with elephants and equids.

    The gorilla family tree in europe is indeed very nice-so now I have a bit more background info on the silverback at Duisburg-a good example for the breeding situation, because their former male never bred with any female.

    Does anybody know the current group splitting at Amneville ? They have two bachlor groups with five and three males in diffrent age.
     
  12. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the info! Has Mapema bred? Presumably she now carries the same valuable genetic status.
     
  13. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Mapema is male. He has several offspring at Duisburg.
     
  14. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  15. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I believe Ya Kwanza is in the group with 4 younger males, and the other three form the second group.
     
  16. Chatt Wolf

    Chatt Wolf Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    And in fact has just become a father again!...32 yo Momo has given birth [yesterday?] for the first time. :)