Hi guys & gals... Been away from the forums for a while. Can anyone give me a summary of what's happening at Gorilla Kingdom? Not been around on here, or managed to visit the zoo since the death of poor 'Tiny'. I read around the time that then resident male 'Kesho' was unable to breed. Just having a quick scan through this forum - am I right in reading that Kesho has departed for Longleat? Is it just back to the 3 females at London Zoo for the time being? Any plans to introduce another male? Thanks in advance.
The plan is (I believe) for one of Paignton's bachelor group (6.0?) 'Kumbuka' to arrive soon. They have the three females (Mjukuu, Zaire and Effiie) at present, Kesho has been reunited with his two younger brothers (Alf and Evindi, from Dublin) and is currently being tried to mix in with 'Boulas' from Twycross.
Thanks for that mate. Hopefully the new male will arrive soon. It's just such a shame that 'again' the females are temporarily alone, & that Kesho didn't work out at all.
The plan is to introduce Kumbaka in the autumn, once the summer holidays are over and there are fewer visitors, so the gorillas can have relative peace and quiet to get on with the introductions.
Last reports were that he had yet to leave Paignton... (feel free to correct me though if things have since changed since then)
I have just posted a photo of Kumbuka in the Gallery. I took it at Paignton on the 29th of September. He looks magnificent to my eyes. I hope Effie and Mjuku think so too and that Zaire will be proud of her grandson. Since he has never left the UK, he will not need any statutory quarantine; but I dare say that he will spend a few days alone to get used to Regents Park before they start any introductions. Alan
Thank you very much for replying. He looks magnificant. I wish the gorillas of London Zoo the best of luck as they have had a very rough 3 years.
He's certainly a very striking male and puts his predecessor 'Kesho' in the shade rather. Unfortunately there is a big questionmark hanging over his head regarding his ability to breed, since he was handraised and has never seen a female Gorilla to date. However, we can only wait to see what transpires when he arrives at ZSL which I think may be in the next few days.
Thank you very much for replying I can't see how he could be any worse than his 3 predecessors. Fingers crossed
'Bobby' was an undersized/stunted male with a very poor social background, who did mate apparently though he never bred before he died. Could have been infertile? 'Yeboah' was a normal mother-raised breeder who got sick and died. 'Kesho' was a normal mother-raised male who also had a rare condition that rendered him infertile. It remains to be seen how 'Kumbuka' compares with them.
I suspect that after all london's misfotunes with males, kumbuka will go through lots of genetic analysis to ensure he is suitable. I really hope that we have 2 pregnant females at london within a year or two. And fingers crossed both offspring will be female too!!!
I think he has been subject to a number of medical tests to ensure he is clear of any genetic or health problems, but they cannot gauge his breeding potenial totally .i.e. whether he will be interested in females etc as he's never seen one.
If he's a 'normal' male he should get along with them fine- they really aren't that 'picky' if they come from a normal/well socialised background. What I find strange is that the EEP have sanctioned this move as they normally recommend only using mother-raised males nowadays for breeding groups- because of the possibility/higher probability of failure associated with handraised ones. When Twycross got a new male from Port Lympne, the initial choice was a handraised one but EEP recommended they take one of the mother-raised ones(Oumbi) instead. So why have they changed the rules this time? Possible answer- because genetically he's quite important as his w/c father 'Keke' had only two offspring, so it is worth trying him.
Kumbuka in the Media Two mentions on online news sites of Kumbuka including photographs .... 24th October 2012: The 15-year-old silverback came to Paignton from La Boissiere Zoo in France, and is expected to leave his Devon home within months to start a new breeding group at London zoo. Squirrel joins in the Halloween fun with terrifying toy filled with treats | Mail Online 26th October 2012: The 15-year-old silverback weighs in at a hulking 180kg – which equals 400lb, or 28 stone. Kumbuka was born on November 15, 1997, and came to Paignton Zoo from La Boissiere Zoo in France. Halloween treat leaves Paignton Zoo gorilla Kumbuka unmoved | This is Cornwall
