Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife). – Shortly before his 15th birthday, León is a typical male of his age, conceited and boastful. He thinks he is the king of the world and only respects his brother Aladdin but just because he knows that he is a bit stronger. He is intelligent and lively, has always something to do and is never bored.
León belongs to the western lowland gorillas and has a body height of 170 cm and a weight of 198 kg. He lives together with 5 other male gorillas of this species in the zoological institution of the Loro Parque on Tenerife. Recently, something strange has happened. His daily routine has changed. With increased regularity León has been visited by his veterinary, he has met his brother less frequently in the exterior area of the park and the two haven’t been sleeping together anymore as they were used to. He didn’t know it but they were preparing him for the journey of his life which will take place in autumn this year. He will leave his brother and his companions and cross the ocean in order to get to the zoo Belo Horizonte. In Brazil, he will found a family with the Imbi-gorilla which is already waiting for him and Lou-Lou which will be sent at the same time to Brazil from the English Howlett zoo.
León is the one and only male gorilla which will be sent to Brazil, the only gorilla of South America, the “star” of the zoo. Nobody will challenge him for his position as leader of the group.
He will have all females for himself and his descendants will ensure the species conservation of this continent in the future. People from the neighboring countries will see him, according to Vicente Martínez, keeper and curator for mammals in the Loro Parque, and Rafael Zamora Padrón, biologist of the center for species conservation.
Imbi and Lou-Lou will be the first female gorillas León will see and smell since he left his mother 8 years ago in his native city Tel Aviv.
León had to leave his family in a zoo in Israel when he developed into an adult and abounding gorilla and challenged his father to fight for the leading position. He lost the fight.
He and his brother were sent to the Loro Parque in which they stayed close together until they successfully won out over Pole Pole, the then leading gorilla of the group. Today, Pole Pole peacefully lives under the control of Aladdin. In the nature, gorilla families consist of one male and several female gorillas with young animals which leave the group when they have reached the adolescence. They join together to groups of other abandoned males until they have found females to establish own families. Previously, male gorillas which lived in captivity and were abandoned from his families were a huge problem. Therefore, they were kept in separate cages in which they were isolated from the others.
”This was not a life for a social animal”, explains Juan Vicente Martínez who is standing near to the gorilla enclosure while León is furiously observing (lips pressed together, stealthy look…) the strangers standing close to his keeper. To solve this problem and to offer this species, which is threatened by extinction in his home country Central Africa, a social life as much as possible, a few zoos assemble groups of single male gorillas as a genetic reserve. The reserve of the Loro Parque has six male gorillas and is the largest in Europe.
If a zoo needs a male for the reproduction, the EEP, the European Endangered Species Programme, selects an adequate animal. In this case, León has been chosen because he has ideal genetic, physical and mental characteristics in order to found the first gorilla family in South America in the zoological institution of Belo Horizonte in which Imbi had been living together with an older male and a further female gorilla until they both died.
”It seems that everything will be fine”. Belo Horizonte is a good place with a similar climate and accustomed zoological facilities in which three newcomers will live”, Juan Vicente Martínez declares optimistically and full of pride because León has been selected. Nevertheless, he doesn’t conceal the truth that it makes him very sad to lose his friend.
Juan Vicente, who is immediately recognized by León and his other fellows, will accompany him on his journey in the hold of the airplane in a huge, saved and comfortable box in order to protect him from stress as much as possible.
The logistics of the transport is very difficult and many months of preparation are necessary, explains Rafael Zamora, biologist of the center for species conservation, who is responsible for the details of the transport. Hygiene and safety rules, check-ups by veterinaries as well as quarantines are aspects which have to be organized in advance in every detail. Juan Vicente wonders how León will react on his new environment. ” He is used to be with other male gorillas and to violently romp around with his brother. Now he has to learn how to deal with a female and how to copulate. He has never sensed a female gorilla since he left his childhood.
The other sex
Smelling the other sex is a very important behavior pattern of male gorillas. In order to reassure a harmonious life, male gorillas which live in captivity in groups of bachelors shouldn’t smell a female in their range. Rafael Zamora explains that zoos usually keep gorilla families and not a group of male gorillas because young animals are so compelling to the visitors. “But it is also important to have a reserve. We represent a salvation for male gorillas that don’t have another place to live and serve as future breeding animals. In doing this, we can help a lot”. Among the thousand gorillas which live in captivity all around the world, 429 gorillas (192 males and 237 females) live in zoological institutions in Europe.
The eldest animals
Most gorillas were born in captivity (and can reach an age of up to 50 years with good conditions of keeping), except of the eldest animals. Therefore, they don’t belong to the animals that are hunted for zoos. The population in Central Africa is decreasing due to human’s pressure. Poaching and wars make it very difficult to protect this species which is after the chimpanzees the next closest to the Homo sapiens with a deviation of only 1, 6 % of the human DNS.
Rafael Zamora’s hope is that the keeping and breeding of these animals in captivity represent a security for the future and that someday it will be possible to repopulate the natural habitat of these animals.
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Erstellt am: 12.09.2013 13:19 Uhr