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[Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/9321964.htm?1c

Posted on Thu, Aug. 05, 2004

To keepers, new gorillas look good

By Sandy Bauers
Inquirer Staff Writer

The human observers on the other side of the thick glass yelped and 
jumped back in surprise when Louis did his routine.

Across the room, the young gorilla fixed them with what could only be 
called an impish look. Then he ran at the glass.

Wham! He banged into it and sauntered off, tossing a brief glance back 
over his shoulder.

Heidi Hellmuth couldn't help but laugh. "It's so nice to have a 
youngster in the group."

Less than a month into their new home at the Philadelphia Zoo, four 
gorillas from St. Louis "have exceeded our expectations," said 
Hellmuth, assistant curator of mammals at the zoo.

Things could have gone so differently. Moving large primates is a huge 
challenge.

Preparations started back in May, when the gorillas had physicals to 
ensure that they were fit for the trip. But one of the initial TB tests 
was positive, so everyone had to wait until a more thorough test came 
up negative.

On July 12, the St. Louis staff got the gorillas into four large travel 
crates and loaded them into a truck and a van. The drive lasted all 
night, ending outside the PECO Primate Reserve in the zoo at 2 p.m. the 
next day.

The humans were exhausted. But they also knew it was far from certain 
that the animals would agree to come out of their crates. It could take 
hours.

They started with Kivu, 25, the oldest female. Using a forklift, they 
maneuvered her crate up to the entrance of the gorilla area and secured 
it in place.

To their astonishment - and relief - she quickly traversed an entrance 
tunnel and went into an enclosure.

The others followed her example - probably her scent, too. Next came 
Nne Kizazi, 16. (They pronounce her name EN-nay, or EE-nee.)

Then came Nne's son Louis, 5, the rambunctious one.

Finally, Louis' father, the huge silverback, Jabari, 19, emerged.

Meg White, their St. Louis keeper, had made the trip, too, and was 
waiting for them with apples and bananas. Within half an hour, they 
were settling in and making nests.

The move was part of a kind of gorilla musical chairs among several 
American zoos.

It was prompted partly because Philadelphia's Chaka, 20, a male, and 
Demba, 34, an aging, childless female from Dallas, had failed to have 
young.

For all anyone knew, the shy Demba never even bred with Chaka, despite 
his evident appeal to every one of the female gorillas in Cincinnati, 
where he went on a breeding loan. All of them bore little Chakas.

So Chaka, and two juvenile males he had bonded with, moved out - to a 
South Carolina zoo that was returning its loaner gorillas to Chicago 
and needed some new ones.

Demba stayed behind.

And the breeding troop from St. Louis, which had an excess of gorillas, 
headed east.

It was a bittersweet decision for Philadelphia. Chaka was a link to the 
past. He was born here and, because he was on loan to another zoo at 
the time, was the only gorilla to survive a 1995 fire that killed 23 
primates.

After 10 days of adjustment, the new gorillas were let into the indoor 
exhibit area.

Another big step will be "introducing" them to Demba.

They probably smelled her right away. Later, when they first caught 
sight of her in a cage across from theirs, Jabari went into a 
stiff-armed "alert" stance. Demba did likewise.

Then she turned, picked up some tree trimmings and gorilla chow, and 
began to eat.

"They'll tell us when they're ready," said Andy Baker, senior vice 
president for animal programs. The humans will watch for signs that 
tell them which of the new gorillas will be most likely to get along 
with Demba, and they'll be put together briefly.

On Tuesday, all the newcomers were up in the exhibit room.

Nne Kizazi, who is unusual because she often walks upright, stood 
leaning against the glass. Baker leaned against the glass on the other 
side, shoulder to shoulder with her. The ape turned, giving him a 
once-over.

Kivu lolled in another area, then climbed one of the towers.

Keeper Becky Calvanese stuck a plastic bottle through the cage mesh and 
fed them sips of apple juice. She wore a mask, coveralls and plastic 
gloves, gear she will use throughout a 90-day quarantine.

"They're primates, we're primates," Hellmuth said. They also need to 
protect the zoo's other primates.

A few staffers joked that Jabari was down in the off-exhibit area, 
checking out Demba. But suddenly, there he was, filling the entrance 
door with his huge head and body. At 500 pounds, he outweighs Chaka by 
50. He moved across the floor, regal.

For now, the two females are on birth control. At some point, though, 
the zoo may try for a new baby. And there's still an outside chance 
that Demba will breed and conceive, although most think her biologic 
clock has about ticked out.

Over the next few days, the troop will be getting used to the outdoor 
area. Already, the two females have ventured out, and Jabari has peered 
around the corner of the entrance, watching.

As for Louis, the staff began to worry about how he'd fare on the 
higher branches of two uprooted trees that constitute a natural jungle 
gym in the yard.

"We thought, 'Hmmmm, 5-year-old,' " Hellmuth said.

So they brought out the pruners and child-proofed it.
Contact Sandy Bauers at 610-701-7635 or sbauers AT phillynews.com.