Gorilla information
Western lowland gorilla
Conservation status: Endangered. Continent: Africa. Country: Cameroon, Gabon, The Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea. Habitat: Tropical rainforest. Relatives: Chimpanzee, bonobo, orang-utan, man
Description
Large ape, covered in black hair. The face is bare black skin as is the chest. The hair on the back of mature males becomes silvery with age and status - hence the name 'silverback'. The head has a short muzzle, large ridges above the eyes and a mass of fat and gristle on top of the head, particularly in males. The fingers and toes each have nails. When walking, gorillas walk on the soles of their feet and the knuckles of their hands, although they can walk a few metres standing on their legs alone.
Diet
Leaves - folivore, fruits – frugivore. Their diet consists of vegetation, some fruits, and nuts. They will also eat invertebrates such as termites. In the morning they forage and eat for about two hours, then they rest until the afternoon, when they start to eat again until twilight. At Bristol Zoo Gardens they are given a wide variety of vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs, branches and a commercially-made "Primate Diet" biscuit. Besides constant fresh water being available for drinking, they are given sugar-free Ribena and herbal tea!
Family and friends
Gorillas are sociable and have a very structured family life, consisting of one dominant silverback male that will drive out other mature males from the group as they mature. Females have a pecking order that seems to be determined by how long the females have been part of the group. Usually groups contain about five animals. They do not defend their home territory and often overlap with other groups, although groups try to steer clear of one another.
For more information about western lowland gorillas visit Bristol Zoo’s website: www.bristolzoo.org.uk3
Threats facing gorillas in the wild
Many gorillas are hunted and killed for the 'bushmeat' trade - animals are shot by hunters and the meat sold to traders in towns and cities. Some people think the wild population of western lowland gorillas is somewhere between 90,000 and 110,000, but this could be a big overestimate.No one really knows the scale of the killing but, in just one district of Cameroon in the western part of Africa, an estimated 800 gorillas are shot for meat every year. Often when the adults are killed their young are taken and sold as pets, but they usually die of starvation or disease in a few days. Without major conservation efforts, it is feared that all the apes in Cameroon could be wiped out within the next few decades. Bristol Zoo Gardens is working with the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund (CWAF) to try to stop the killing, and to care for the orphans of the trade.For more information about western lowland gorillas visit Bristol Zoo’s website: www.bristolzoo.org.uk
Ape Action Africa (formerley CWAF, the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund)
Ape Action Africa (AAA) is a charity which helps to save orphaned primates and educate local people about the threats to their wildlife.AAA operates two sites in Cameroon: Mefou National Park and Mvog-betsi Zoo.All of the individual apes at the centres are orphans from the wild. Their parents have been slaughtered by hunters as part of the bushmeat trade and the young orphans have been rescued before they could be sold as pets or for meat.Working with the government, local communities and other ecological groups around the world, AAA hopes to show people the amazing diversity of wildlife in Cameroon, and explain exactly how and why it should be protected.Bristol Zoo Gardens supports AAA by providing funding and business and veterinary services support. Bristol Zoo also holds a seat on the Board at AAA and is actively involved in campaigning against the bushmeat trade.For more information about AAA visit Bristol Zoo’s website: www.bristolzoo.org.uk or www.apeactionafrica.org
Bristol Zoo's conservation breeding programmes
Bristol Zoo Gardens takes part in many international animal and plant breeding programmes.Conservation Breeding Programmes are collaborative projects that involve a number of zoos and are co-ordinated either nationally or internationally. These programmes ensure that proper standards of husbandry are upheld and that proper genetic and demographic management is maintained. This avoids the effects of inbreeding and domestication, ensuring a healthy conservation breeding population. All co-ordinated breeding programmes involve keeping detailed studbooks on computer. These suggest which animals should breed together to avoid inbreeding and to maximise genetic diversity. Bristol Zoo Gardens holds the studbooks for a number of animals including the black howler monkey and the Luzon and Mindanao bleeding heart doves.For more information visit Bristol Zoo’s website: www.bristolzoo.org.uk
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