Bristol Zoo Gardens Adopts Orphaned Lowland Gorilla

By Lucy Parkinson

Bristol, UK - Bristol Zoo Gardens has taken in a young orphan gorilla from a specialist ape nursery in Germany.
 
The youngster, called Kera, has moved to Bristol Zoo from Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, where she had been hand-reared while living alongside other young gorillas.
 
At four-years-old Kera was old enough to leave the nursery and a new home needed to be found for her. Bristol Zoo Gardens was chosen as the best place for her because it has the facilities for an expanding group of gorillas.

Her move was recommended as part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, managed by EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.
 
Kera joins Bristol Zoo’s current family of western lowland gorillas: Jock the 220kg (more than 34 stone) adult male, Salome and Romina the two adult females, three-year-old Namoki and little Komale, who is almost two.
 
Before moving to Stuttgart nursery, Kera was born a twin at Barcelona Zoo in February 2004. The twins had to be hand-reared due to a lack of interest from the mother.
 
A keeper from Stutgart Zoo travelled with Kera to Bristol Zoo and stayed for a few days to help her settle in. She described Kera as dominant yet good natured, sociable and very greedy!
 
The process of introducing her to the other gorillas is, and continues to be, a sensitive one, therefore Kera will not always be available for the public to see. The keepers will be keeping a close eye on their new charge and will monitor her interaction with the rest of the group.
 
Kera is similar in age to Bristol Zoo’s three-year-old female gorilla, Namoki, and it is hoped the pair will become playmates which will help Kera settle into her new surroundings.
 
Kera’s new family will also help her learn about gorilla families, their social structure and etiquette. Integrating her into Bristol Zoo’s gorilla group will help her learn how to be a ‘fully socialised’ gorilla in a family group situation, which will help her develop valuable skills for the future.
 
John Partridge, Bristol Zoo’s senior curator of animals, explained why Kera came to Bristol Zoo. He said: “At four-years-old, Kera was ready to leave the nursery and Bristol Zoo Gardens has the space and was in a position to take on another gorilla.
 
“Female gorillas are quite rare in the captive breeding programme, so when we were told that a young gorilla from the nursery needed a new home, we applied to have her and were selected, which is fantastic.”
 
He added: “We want to expand our gorilla breeding programme here at Bristol Zoo and we have the veterinary and animal husbandry expertise to facilitate this. Although Kera is currently too young to breed, she will eventually be able to breed with Jock. One of our other adult females, Salome, is getting fairly old now and has a history of having trouble conceiving, so this is also a way of looking to the future of our breeding group.”
 
The gorilla family are available to see on the internet via the Zoo’s new gorilla webcam. Simply visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk and follow the link on the homepage.
 
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild. They come from an area of dense forest and swamp which covers South East Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. But their native forests are being exploited for their timber, which opens up routes into the forest providing easier access to hunters who kill gorillas for bushmeat and trophies. 
 
Since 1998, Bristol Zoo Gardens has supported the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund (CWAF), a registered charity working to care for orphans of the illegal bushmeat trade and prevent primate extinction in Cameroon.
 
Adoption shares in the gorilla family are available to buy. By adopting you will be contributing towards the upkeep of the animals at the zoo and supporting field conservation of threatened species. Bristol Zoo Gardens has more than 450 animal species available for adoption.
 
For more information about Bristol Zoo Gardens, or to find out how to adopt an animal or become a member, visit the zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk or phone 0117 974 7300.
 
Bristol Zoo Gardens
*         Bristol Zoo is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day. 
*         The Zoo is an Education and Conservation Charity and relies on the income from visitors to support its work. 
*         The Zoo is involved with more than 100 co-ordinated breeding programmes for threatened wildlife species. 
*         It employs 140 full and part-time staff to care for the animals and run a successful visitor attraction to support its conservation and education work. 
*         Bristol Zoo supports – through finance and skill sharing - over 10 projects in the UK and abroad that conserve and protect some of the world’s most endangered species.
*         Bristol Zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
*         BIAZA represents more than 90 member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums. 
 
Bristol Zoo Gardens and gorilla conservation
 
Since 1998, Bristol Zoo Gardens has supported the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund (CWAF), a registered charity working to prevent primate extinction in West Africa. CWAF runs a rescue centre at Mvog Betsi Zoo in conjunction with the Cameroon Ministry for Wildlife and Forestry as well as a sanctuary at Mefou National Park offering a safe home for the orphaned animals in its care, as close to their natural environment as possible.  Reintroduction of the apes is planned for the future.  Since 2004 we have also been working with communities around the Dja Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site in Cameroon and an important protected area for apes, to reduce hunting of gorillas and chimpanzees around the villages.
 
Dr Bryan Carroll, deputy director at Bristol Zoo Gardens, is chairman of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Bushmeat Working Group which organised the campaign to halt the illegal commercial bushmeat trade. Dr Bryan Carroll, together with other representatives, presented a 1.9 million signature petition to the European Parliament in Brussels on November 6, 2001. In January 2004, the European Parliament voted in favour