I'm not sure but I think it may have something to do with Jomie, (the male before Jock) who came from PL and died at London around 2000 (my memory is hazy here). I'm not convinced PL would have willingly parted with this animal. Furthermore, if ZSL allowed the test results for Hepatitis to be publicised, it would have therefore facilitated the assumption that the death at London 2 years after he arrived from PL was in fact due to the virus he was carrying and no other factor. However, I am sure if there is any animosity between the two organisations, it predates this to the time of John Aspinall being alive. I do remember that John Aspinall spoke publicly about ZSL trying to sell him Whipsnade around 1990 when London Zoo was facing closure. I can't imagine they were thrilled with this disclosure, especially when he declined to take them up on their offer.
To where is going the young gorilla male from Monkey Valley in France? Could be a good candidate for London, possible.
quote=johnstoni;303675]I'm not sure but I think it may have something to do with Jomie, (the male before Jock) who came from PL and died at London around 2000 (my memory is hazy here). I'm not convinced PL would have willingly parted with this animal. Furthermore, ZSL allowed the test results for Hepatitis to be publicised, therefore facilitating the assumption that the death at London 2 years after he arrived from PL was in fact due to the virus he was carrying and no other factor. [/quote] Jomie was actually owned by ZSL as his mother Lomie was sent to Howletts after 'Guy' died (Howletts owned her 2nd baby born there-a female Djoulie who died without offspring)) So when London reclaimed Jomie, there was nothing they could do- though actually I never heard they objected to him going as he was living there as a 'single' male by then and using up a cage to himself. I didn't know about the Hepatitis 'slur' though- but I do believe that can only have come from the Colobus monkey in his cage at Port Lympne that Jomie killed- as no other Howletts/ Port Lympne gorillas seem to have this(Jomie was living alone in the old cylindrical chimpanzee cage at that time). This incident may have fired further bad feeling but you are right that the original differences went far deeper and further back to the John Aspinall early days.
I don't know if it was actually a slur, I just mean that it is possible to keep such test results private and this was not the case. I don't mean that London sent out a press release.
Sorry, didn't mean a 'slur' as such. Just that it was made public. If I was London I would have been pretty fed up to discover Jomie had contracted this needlessly at Port Lympne- though it was a 'fluke' situation really.
yes. A little young perhaps(age 11) but otherwise perfectly suitable. There are several males in Europe they could choose from but I think it will still take considerable time unfortunately.
Very sad news not much luck with males at london zoo where do you think they will try to get another male from GB
Read Page 4 on this thread for some possible sources, though virtually anywhere with suitable males is possible.
Possibly a male at howletts called Kanghu 10 or 11 years old needs a new home and he could be a good option but like everyone is saying the poor relationship between the two organisations GB
I can't see it happening the poor relationship between Aspinal parks and ZSL is quite legendary and has been widely discussed all over zoochat. Also Kanghu is Mujukuu's 2nd Cousin not massively closely related but in my opinion there are better candidates. It says on La Vallée des Singes website that 10 1/2 year old Badongo is destined to become a breeding male in the relatively near future. It says he will go to 'live in another wildlife park' but it doesn't say where. As far as I know Badongo has 1 full brother 1 full sister, 2 1/2 sisters and 2 1/2 brothers. Those and a 1/2 Uncle and 1/2 Aunt are his only relatives in Europe. He has an Uncle in America with 6 daughters and 2 grandsons, one of which happens to also be the great grandson of Colo the first Gorilla born in captivity. His Mother is Wildborn. I like his prospects thanks to 'John' who mentioned him.
Zoos do quite often say this when they know a male is going to have to leave their group sometime soon, but it hasn't been decided where he is going yet. The Vallee de Singes group is headed by 'Yoaunde' (born in Wassenaar, Tembo x Linda) who has few relatives apart from his own offspring, so this male, his eldest son, could definately be another possible candidate. Like Kesho in Dublin he is still a little young but that's the only thing which works against him really. Although I'd like to see another male brought in soon, obviously ZSL will first need to get to the bottom of how/why Yeboah died and ensure the same cannot happen to yet another male, before another is allocated to them. Although his death was released to the Press, there is still no mention of it on the Zoo's own website. Yeboah's pictures are still in the Gorilla Kingdom section too.
Yes, nowhere will want to send them a male until they prove that there is not a major problem. But Badongo is my favorite candidate so far, although 10 1/2 is a bit young. I had hoped to go to La Vallée des Singes last year but it didn't happen unfortunately. It looks like a great place.
I've never been but I believe its like Apenheul and is run by the same people, and that's a marvellous place. As 'Badongo' is from one of the least genetically-represented lines in Europe it would probably make him a frontrunner- that's unless somewhere else has been earmarked for him already.
We are sad ... Yeboah Kukuma was born at 10.01.1997 at Hannover Zoo. He lived here until May 2003 and he was a good boy. He always defended the weak. His mother Kathi (Kathrin/Evouma, 1972* wild born) is still living in Hannover. I'm glad, she doesn’t not know, what happened to her son. She is a good mother. Yeboahs father Artis (6.11.83* Rotterdam) died 2000 in Hannover Zoo in the moat, filled 3,20 m with water: http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,76696,00.html When the new silver back Buzandi attacks the gorilla woman, the little six-year-Yeboah attacks the silver back. We were very happy, that he comes to London and becomes a harem. Now we are very sad and cry for days. R.I.P. Yeboah. (sorry for my bad english)
Was at the zoo briefly this afternoon, noticed that the keeper distributing food on the island wore a face mask and boiler suit-style overalls. Didn't hang around at the gorillas, still find it rather depressing.
I would be very interested to hear any more details surrounding the cause of his death, once more becomes fully known.
I still can't see any mention of Yeboah's death on ZSL's website and his picture is still all over the Gorilla kingdom section. I'm Thinking of Going to London zoo sometime soon, I have been saying that for ages though. It has been about 3 years now since my last visit! Can't believe it. I think Gorilla Kingdom had not long since opened back then. I was wondering, how long did Bobby live in the new enclosure for? It must have been about a year I suppose. Just pondering on possible links/similarities between the deaths of the two males. I hope if there is a problem that it can be overcome.
I think Bobby was in the new exhibit from the Spring of the year it opened until early December the following year when he died. I believe he died of a Heart Attack- a common failing in male Gorillas in Zoos, particularly of his age group. Yeboah's death I heard was due to a virus- Glandular Fever but I'd like to hear more official confirmation on this. I think they may still be considering how best to present the bad news on their website.
I am really deeply saddened to JUST hear about this - it's just terribly bad all round. I am not an expert by any means (far from it) - but having 'Googled' - Epstein-Barr virus - it does seem to suggest human possible infection...maybe? Which could be a possible reason for the keepers now wearing masks/overalls etc.
Its now almost two months since Yeboah's death and rather oddly there has still been no mention of it whatsoever on the Zoo's own website- only in a number of newspaper reports at the time it happened. It seems that apart from a couple of leftover photos, ZSL have chosen to 'airbrush' his existence and it seems very late in the day to redress this anytime now. Which leads me to wonder if they will also not make public the cause of death when they know it- considering that his demise hasn't officially been announced. Though its not impossible to slip this information in somewhere; e.g. 'Yeboah, our male Gorilla who tragically died in March was found to have.....'etc.
