I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, or whether it would have been better to send 'Imbi' back to Howletts, or to another better Zoo somewhere else.
I can only consider it an mistake because no improvement was made since the death of Idi and Kifta! So lets hope all the best will happen and good luck for this two individuals, maybe the zoo learnt form the mistakes!
it saddens me to think of Loulu & Leon going there and also that imbi has been alone. She must have been distraught, I also hoped they would bring her back. Should never have gone there in the 1st place, kifta was a great gorilla.
First Gorilla born in South America at Belo Horizonte Zoo ! Brazilian zoo welcomes first gorilla born in captivity in South America | Fox News Latino
A gorilla has been born at the Belo Horizonte zoo a first for South America. Em Belo Horizonte, nasce o primeiro gorila em zoológico da América do Sul - Notícias - Zero Hora
Maybe the first gorilla for South America, but there have been gorillas (aka guerrillas) in the Caribbean for a long time! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyG0G96UB6k
According to Jim Davis's unofficial studbook, this first birth on August 5th has been followed by another on September 1st. The father is Leon from Tel Aviv and the mothers are Imbi and Lou Lou from Howletts. Alan
Tercera cría de gorila amenazado de extinción nace en zoológico brasileño | ELESPECTADOR.COM 3rd gorilla to be born at Belo Horizonte zoo.
Great news, underlining why animal exchanges and transfer of zoo animal management and husbandry expertise across the globe makes sense and does more for species conservation than one could hope to think of otherwise. We actually seem to have missed the news item on the second gorilla birth here! Resume: First births in 2014: 1.0 Sawidi (Leon x Lou Lou) 1.0 Johari (Leon x Imbi) New 3rd baby in 2017: 0.0.1 (Leon x Imbi)
I bet you guys will like the great news we've been having in the last years about the gorillas at Belo Horizonte. Whoever sees this reply of mine in this conversation, I suggest you to read this thread I wrote about the mentioned issue. The change of zoos in Brazil through time (Belo Horizonte zoo)
How has the gorilla group developed at Belo Horizonte Zoo in 2020: 1.2 breeding group and 2.0+0.0.1 2017 (sexed now right?)??? More births since? Any indication that other zoos might at some point start with this great ape species? BTW: How is the de-acquisition or putting all chimpanzee at a preferred zoo location going?
The gorilla born in 2017 is a male and his name is Ayo. In 2019, Lou Lou, Jahari and Ayo's mom, gave birth to a female, whose name is Anaya. I don't think any zoos in Brazil (maybe even in South America) are planning to add gorillas to their collection. About the chimps, it seems that there is only one male specimen living in Belo Horizonte. I went there in the 21st of November and I saw only one chimpanzee, which was a male. I went to the gorilla exhibit and there was a zookeeper, to whom I asked about Dorotéia, the only female chimpanze which lives (or lived) there. The girl said that recently, one of the chimps had died, but she couldn't tell me which gender it was, since she didn't know it either.
I am surprised some zoo keepers do not know their precinct that well! Usually, the staff are quite knowledgeable and always happy and passionate to talk about the animals in their care, their work and all. I really enjoy that side of a zoo very much! I am thinking of opening a thread in the Brasil section on exotic animals. The ones you (Estimado Enzo), @OC and @DAVID MM have been talking about. Or any of you might want to do that. I am sure to jump in as well (as I really enjoy to have your local perspectives on everything with zoos and conservation as well as more general social, cultural and political affairs).
Oh, I'd definitely support creating the thread. I'd like to discuss more about the exotic animals living in Brazil, mainly ungulates and primates, but other animals are also very welcome.
The keepers staying at the gorilla exhibit in this reopening period are mostly interns. Many of them have just started their working periods at the zoo, and don't have enough experience yet... I hope you could have met a more experienced keeper, @Enzo ... I support the creation of this mentioned thread, it will be really interesting.
The last gorilla born at the zoo came to the world last year, and completed her first birthday very recently. Some of the zoo's keepers told me in a few occasions that there is a good possibility of building other exhibits to hold the male gorillas and build new families, instead of transfering them. Besides BH zoo, no other zoos in the country have, nowadays, an adequated structure to keep gorillas in a satisfatory way.
