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  • From: "Adam Thorsell" <athorsell AT meditech.com>
  • To: "monkeywire AT lists.ibiblio.org" <monkeywire AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [monkeywire] Gorillas hold 'wake' for group's leader
  • Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 13:08:58 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)

Via CNN.com
(http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/12/08/gorilla.wake.ap/index.html)

Gorillas hold 'wake' for group's leader

Gorillas last respects similar to human behavior
Wednesday, December 8, 2004 Posted: 10:34 AM EST (1534 GMT)


BROOKFIELD, Illinois (AP) -- After Babs the gorilla died at age 30, keepers
at Brookfield Zoo decided to allow surviving gorillas to mourn the most
influential female in their social family.

One by one Tuesday, the gorillas filed into the Tropic World building where
Babs' body lay, arms outstretched. Curator Melinda Pruett Jones called it a
"gorilla wake."

Babs' 9-year-old daughter, Bana, was the first to approach the body, followed
by Babs' mother, Alpha, 43. Bana sat down, held Babs' hand and stroked her
mother's stomach. Then she sat down and laid her head on Babs' arm.

"It was like they used to do in the exhibit, lying side by side on the
mountain," keeper Betty Green said. "Then Bana rose up and looked at us and
moved to Babs' other side, tucked her head under the other arm, and stroked
Babs' stomach."

Other gorillas also approached Babs and gently sniffed the body. Only the
silverback male leader, Ramar, 36, stayed away.

Keepers said the display wasn't surprising.

"She was the dominant female of the group, the peacekeeper, the
disciplinarian, the one who kept things in a harmonious state," Pruett Jones
said.

Koola, 9, brought her infant daughter, whom Babs had showered with attention
since her birth in August.

"Koola inspected Babs' mouth for a while, then held her baby close to Babs,
like she loved to do the last couple months, letting Babs admire her," Green
said.

Babs had an incurable kidney condition and was euthanized Tuesday. Keepers
had recently seen a videotape of a gorilla wake at the Columbus, Ohio, zoo
and decided they would do the same for Babs. Gorillas in the wild have been
known to pay respects to their dead, keepers said.

"I had a headache for the rest of the day after all the tears I cried
watching them," Green said.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.





Adam Thorsell, Supervisor, 781-774-3174
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
Mailstop: C3S114W, MEDITECH Circle, Westwood, MA 02090



  • [monkeywire] Gorillas hold 'wake' for group's leader, Adam Thorsell, 12/08/2004

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