The Lowland Gorilla
Sub species - Eastern and Western Lowland Gorilla
On December 22 1956 the first gorilla was born in captivity in Columbus Zoo, Ohio. The parents Milli and Mac were lowland gorillas captured in French Cameroon Africa and brought to the zoo in 1951.
The baby, was named Colo, a name made from the words Columbus and Ohio was born weighing approximately 4lb. She was hand reared by the keepers as her parents rejected her, as they hadn't learnt infant rearing and parenting skills from their peers.
Improvements in Zoo Welfare Brings Results
Nowadays zoos build enclosures to resemble the natural habitat and wild environment as much as possible and the gorillas live in family units. As a result many gorillas are now successfully reared by their natural parents, or if this isn't possible the zoo will try and introduce the infant to a surrogate. Human intervention is only considered as a last resort.
Sub Species of the Lowland Gorilla
The Lowland Gorilla has 2 sub species, the Eastern and the Western Lowland Gorilla. Its range extends from the western lowlands near the Cameroon Coast to the central highlands of Zaire and Uganda, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Lowland gorillas are smaller than their rarer cousin the Mountain gorilla. The male stands up to 6 feet in height (1.8m) and weighs around 450lb (200kg). Females are considerably smaller, standing about 5 feet in height (1.32 m) and weigh approximately 200lb (90kg).
The gorillas live in social family groups called troops and usually number between 7-15 intervals. The troop is lead by a dominant Silverback male, the remainder comprises of females, adolescent and sometimes subordinate males.
The gorilla is the largest and most powerful of all primates. They have short muzzles, flat noses with wide nostrils and strong jaws. As omnivores, their diet includes plants, berries, leaves and insects but they will take meat if it's available. The skeletal structure of a gorilla is very similar to that of a human but the bones are thicker. They also lack the curvature that a human spine has so they cannot walk upright. Instead the gorilla walks with a stoop, using its knuckles to support its weight.
The silverback organises the troop's daily activities such as nesting and eating as they move about their range which can vary from ¾ -16 sq miles. They reproduce slowly. Females do not reach sexual maturity until 9-10 years of age, producing 1 baby approximately every 5 years.
Threats to the Lowland Gorilla
Although they tend to inhabit areas that don't have a high human population they are in danger from hunting for bush meat, deforestation and disease. The Ebola virus is a major threat to the population living in the northern border region of Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
Like all primates, gorillas are very intelligent. But unlike their cousin, the chimpanzee, they are not naturally curious, tending to solve a problem out of interest rather than to receive a reward. In captivity, gorillas have been taught to communicate with humans via sign language, with 1 individual learning over 100 words.
The BBC carried a report on August 16th 2008 regarding a recent census conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society which found that the Lowland Gorilla was doing better than expected. The census counted approximately 125,000 gorillas in a 29,000 sq mile (47,000 sq km) area of the northern part of the Republic of Congo.
Colo is now a great-great grandmother and her great granddaughter, Timu was the first gorilla to be conceived by artificial insemination and was born in 1996. Timu has subsequently had her first baby in 2003.
Columbus Zoo has seen 30 gorillas born since the arrival of Colo and participates in the international captive breeding programme. There are approximately 750 gorillas in captivity which should ensure the genetic diversity of the captive population.
Sources
- History.Com
- Daily Telegraph on line
- BBC News
- WIldlife Conservation Society.org
- World Wildlife Fund.org
Silverback Gorilla
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