He has quite a following. There are flower tributes being left at the zoo. Pertinax is correct in saying that he may not have been a great breeder but he surely was a unique individual and he was very striking and had a certain presence. Not to say Motaba isn't equally handsome but Rigo had a very special quality.
They've changed the photo, now it IS Rigo. Good to see. Rigo clearly made a huge impression on many people, he's going to be very well missed. 'Striking' is definitely the right word, there was something very unique about Rigo, no wonder he was so well loved and admired.
Males that die of heart related problems frequently seem in good health right up to their deaths. Motaba's father 'Jambo' at Jersey was another who died that way- he was just found dead one morning after a few days of seeming mildly off-colour. The new male will be(if it is that one- Otana) from Howletts, not Jersey. At Jersey, Ya Kwanza/Mzuri would not accept Julia or G.Anne in his group, and Julia's leg injury was sustained in one of his ousting attempts. That's how they came to be at Melbourne- Jersey couldn't keep them in the group.
HeHe, maybe someone else pointed it out too. I have seen very many captive Gorillas and some males stand out as particularly striking specimens- more dynamic-looking and 'handsome' than most others. Rigo was definately in that category in his younger years.
