![]() ![]() ![]() Since any of these symptoms can be associated with heart problems-and cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death for great apes in zoos-the decision was made to transport Winston to the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center for an in-depth exam.Īmong gorillas, a fixed stare is an assertion of power. However, six months later, the symptoms returned, with vomiting added to the list of concerns. “We were able to give him fluids, and he bounced right back,” Peggy explained. Blood tests and a physical exam were performed under brief anesthesia in the gorilla bedrooms, but nothing rang an alarm. “If they don’t drink, they dehydrate quickly,” Peggy said. In April 2017, keepers noticed Winston appeared a bit lethargic and was not eating or drinking. While animals typically hide symptoms of illness, the keepers are so in tune with the gorillas that they can spot when something seems “off.” They observe each troop member carefully on a daily basis. The Safari Park’s gorilla team’s attention to detail goes beyond what each ape likes or doesn’t like. Winston oversees a troop of seven gorillas-three adult females, two young females, and two adolescent males. He’s decided a little “cush for the tush” is a good thing. “He pushes all the fluff to the side, clearing a spot on the ground to sleep on!” However, with age comes wisdom (and a need for comfort), and over the last couple of years, Winston has begun pulling some bedding under his rump as he settles in for the night. “He’s anti-nest,” Peggy said, with a laugh. As the troop begins settling in for the night, the gorillas pull and pile and fluff the bedding until it reaches their personal standard of “just right” for sleeping. At the Safari Park and the Zoo, keepers place bedding material in the bedrooms once they have cleaned them. In their natural habitat, gorillas use vegetation to create a soft sleeping spot, called a night nest, each evening. This allows for range-of-motion exercise that helps older gorillas like Winston, who has a touch of arthritis. Keepers use the thorns of a Dovyalis tree to place kale and other foods in the gorilla’s habitat, encouraging the great apes to stand and stretch as they feed. It’s a very gentle, understated way of letting us know he wants our attention for something.” “If we are focused on another gorilla or are very busy, he’ll quietly rap on a wall or door to get our attention. Winston’s powerful appearance belies his way of interacting with his keepers. In fact, when a new keeper joins the gorilla team, they start out by working with Winston because “he likes everyone” and is the most accepting of all the gorillas, when it comes to new people. “He has such a sweet disposition,” Peggy said. That first impression quickly dissolved as Peggy and the other keepers began caring for Winston. “His craggy face-to be honest, it was a little scary!” “When he stepped out of the travel crate, we all gasped,” she said. Peggy remembers the first time she saw Winston when he arrived in 1984. The Silverback Gorilla is the most endangered species of Gorilla.Mature male gorillas have a larger saggital crest on their skull, giving them a characteristic, higher domed head than females. Gorillas are also killed by poachers and sometimes get caught in poacher’s snares meant for other animals. Silverback gorillas were not even known to exist until 1902.Today, their habitat is being destroyed when people use the land for farming and the trees for fuel. They spend most of their day foraging for food and eating bamboo and leafy plants Gorillas are herbivores, and eat only plants. Silverback gorillas weigh approximately 350 pounds- about twice the weight of normal adult man. Silverback Gorillas are around six feet tall – about the height of an adult male – while females are around five feet tall. Each gorilla family has a silverback as leader who scares away other animals by standing erect on its hind legs, tearing up and throwing plants, drumming on the chest with its hands or fists, stamping its feet, striking the ground with its palms and galloping in a mock attack on all fours! Mountain gorillas have a stocky build, with a broad chest, long, muscular arms and wide feet and hands. Adult male mountain gorillas are called Silverbacks because of the silver saddle of hair on their backs. ![]() Silverback gorillas have long black hair and their thick, shaggy coats help to keep them warm in cold climates. Because gorillas are nomadic, they build new nests each day at dusk, constructing them out of bent branches in a tree or of grasses on the ground. Silverback gorillas continually wander through their home ranges of 10 to 15 square miles, feeding and resting throughout the day. They are also referred to as mountain gorillas. Silverback gorillas live high in the mountains in two protected parks in Africa. ![]()
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