At Long Last, Joe.  April 1, 2003 – No Fooling! J

by Jane Dewar, 1Apr2003

Sunday, March 30, 2003 was like most Sundays in the north Georgia Mountains – quiet, peaceful, with cherry blossoms, daffodils, crocuses and forsythia in bloom signaling a beautiful spring. Mother Nature surprised us with an early morning dusting of snow, and during the course of the day it went from mild sunny blue skies to blizzard conditions to gale force winds, reminding us that if you don’t like the weather in the mountains, all you have to do is wait a few hours. At 4:30 pm, without fanfare, media attention or fuss, Gorilla Haven welcomed our first gorilla resident – a forty year old male gorilla silverback, given the name Kabako, but everyone calls him Joe. The photo on the left was taken in 2001 by his caregiver, Stephanie Scanlin.

Why the delay? Joe’s baby photos have been on our Home Page since January 2003. Some have emailed asking why we hadn’t done an update for so long and now the reason can be told. We were waiting for all the various people in the zoo world and the Gorilla SSP (Species Survival Plan) to review and approve our application to become a non-AZA (American Zoo Association) affiliate of the Gorilla SSP. This approval finally came on March 17, 2003, when the WCMC, the committee over-seeing the Gorilla SSP, signed off on our application. But then some concerns were brought up – Joe’s condition (see below), and if he was the most appropriate gorilla to come to GH, since there are also other GH candidates, who will have to wait for completion of the other villas and Phase 1. We had changed our planned move date from the week of February 17 to the week of March 24th, in order to accommodate these concerns, but we did not receive official approval to move Joe until March 25, 2003. Since the move was set for 4 days later, we decided to wait and put this update on our website once everything was done and Joe was here … (Photo right by Randy Reid, ca 1980's).

Our goal had always been to get Joe here before we completed Phase 1, which will include the three remaining villas – Bonz, Pitchou and Emma - as well as sealing and finishing the 8.5 acre habitat. Since Joe is unique (you’ll read more below), we felt Joe was a perfect candidate to live in Silverback Villa, while we completed construction of Phase 1, especially since all our support facilities (including a wonderful veterinary building and recovery hospital) were ready and operational. Joe won’t have access to the outside habitat, but he will have full use of the entire SB villa, which is designed for two silverbacks, including access to both inside and outside cages, which will be more space than he’s had in many years. Upon completion of Phase 1, Gorilla Haven will apply for full AZA affiliate accreditation, which is a very involved and detailed process. Rather than wait for the entire Phase 1 to be complete, Joe’s story made us work hard to try to get him here as soon as possible and we’re happy to report the Gorilla SSP and zoo world agreed with this, since they gave us permission and approval to move Joe.

Founder Gorillas:  Joe was born in Africa in 1963 and was captured as a youngster, like so many other gorillas of this era, fated for a life in a zoo. Since 1975 and CITES (Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species), no gorillas can legally leave Africa, so today’s population of gorillas like Joe are becoming older and rare, known as “founder” animals, whose wild genes make them very important to the captive breeding population in zoos worldwide.  Sadly, many of these older, founder animals had limited gorilla social learning opportunities when they were younger and they don’t really know how to behave like more socially adept gorillas.  While there are a number of success stories, like Willie B. and Ivan (Zoo Atlanta), Timmy (Bronx) and Ramar (Brookfield Zoo), too often these older gorilla founders are not able to contribute to the captive gene pool, for a variety of reasons, but mostly due to their lack of interest in breeding or surfeit of social skills.  Today, most gorillas under 25 years old have been born in zoos.   The photo on the left shows baby Joe circa 1966, and below right is Joe in the early 1980's.  Both photos were taken at Birmingham Zoo by his caregiver, Randy Reid.

The Urban Gorilla:  According to the 1993 official International Gorilla Studbook, Birmingham, Alabama’s zoo received Joe on 01 June 1966.  He was assigned studbook number 268, which indicates he was one of the first 300 gorillas to arrive into captivity, once records started being kept. Another gorilla arrived in Birmingham at the same time – studbook number 269, a female gorilla, caregivers called Suzy.   Joe and Suzy’s caregiver at Birmingham Zoo was Randy Reid, who has visited GH in the past and has known about our hopes to move Joe here for several years.  Some of you might remember Randy Reid as part of National Geographic’s moving video by our friend, Allison Argo, entitled “The Urban Gorilla,” which came out in 1990 (indeed, if you haven’t seen this, for anyone interested in gorillas, this video is a “must-have”).  In “The Urban Gorilla” several stories are told about gorillas in captivity around the world and Randy was featured in a reunion with Suzy (now called by her official name, Pongi, who had moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1985, where she still lives).  Pongi hadn’t seen Randy in years, but when he called her by her old name “Suzy”, she came running over to him, with her new baby on her back and purred and rumbled a friendly greeting of recognition and happiness.  I remember seeing a rough-cut of this video at the first Gorilla Workshop in June 1990 and there was not a dry eye in the house, as the dignity, tolerance and wonderful spirit of gorillas was made so clear by Pongi’s reaction to Randy and the bond they still shared.

Joe on the move:  For almost twenty years, Pongi lived at Birmingham Zoo with Joe, but they acted more like siblings and never produced any offspring.  On 15 December 1986, Joe moved to Denver Zoo in Colorado, in the hopes he might be inspired to mate with females there, which included Maguba (now living in Dallas, Texas) and Bibi (now living in Knoxville, Tennessee).  The photo on the right is Joe during his time in Denver, courtesy of Ken and Irene Wenlock.  But Joe wasn’t interested in the ladies and more or less ignored them, we’ve been told.  So once again, Joe was moved – this time to Gladys Porter Zoo (GPZ) in Brownsville, Texas on 11 November 1990.   At 27 years of age, Joe was a fully grown silverback, but he really didn’t know how to behave like a mature silverback leader.  According to reports we’ve heard, when Joe was being introduced to the gorillas at GPZ, he had severe stress-induced reactions and several times he almost died.  The only space for Joe was near the other gorillas at GPZ, but since that was suspected of causing his medical problems and there was no room for him back in Birmingham or another zoo, there was no choice but to move him to GPZ’s vet clinic, where he could receive close medical supervision and attention, as well as a break from being close to other gorillas. 

The Marlena (or should we say, Marlon) Dietrich of Gorillas:  Since approximately 1994 Joe’s been living off exhibit, and his history of no interest in breeding plus his medical condition, made him a less than ideal candidate for a move to yet another zoo.  One gorilla researcher (and a GH Board of Advisor), Dr. Sue Woods, has studied Joe since his time in Denver and several years ago she asked if we knew about Joe and if he might be considered a candidate for GH – especially in light of the fact he didn’t even like to be around gorillas and preferred “to be alone” as long as his human caregivers gave him enough attention and greens (his favorite is celery, which he's enjoying on this photo taken by Stephanie Scanlin).

Medical Concerns: Besides his unique personality, Joe suffers from a non-contagious medical condition which is common in humans, dogs and cats, but very rare in gorillas called IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia).  In IMHA, red blood cells are destroyed rapidly, which can cause death quickly by overloading the kidneys, etc.  Fortunately, the GH vet, Dr. Francis Cipullo, is quite familiar with IMHA in his exotic animal and pet practice and our consulting vet, Dr. Rita McManamon, has as much experience (if not more) than any other vet working with this condition, rare in gorillas.   Furthermore, Joe’s former vet, Dr. Michelle Willette, who worked with Joe in Denver and in Brownsville, has been consulting with us and everyone thinks Joe’s new environment and the fact he’s been stabilized for several years should mean the move will enhance his longevity.

Clean Bill of Health:  Joe’s IMHA condition is apparently “dormant” and Joe hasn’t had an “episode” in several years.  Joe was on a diet and lost some weight (he’d become a bit pudgy from treats his many friends offered him, as well as a lack of exercise), and at his pre-shipment immobilization, Joe’s current GPZ vet, Dr. Kim Herrin, gave him a clean bill of health and his traveling papers. Of course, Joe is an “old man” in gorilla terms and like most humans, he doesn’t like changes and he wants his own way.  Therefore, we’re giving him the entire Silverback Villa to himself, even though our villas are designed to house up to 2 fully grown silverbacks.  Since he doesn’t seem to like being around other gorillas, he won’t have to be, even later on when more gorillas move to GH (they’ll be far enough away from Joe, they won’t effect him).  Joe also doesn’t like new people, so even our own staff are restricted to visiting Joe and there will be a total ban on anyone seeing him … including me!

Joe’s a First for Jane: I’ve “met” about 400 gorillas in captivity around the world and without exception they give me one of 3 different reactions:  (1)  They ignore me – this is the best reaction I could hope for, since this means they’re too busy being gorillas to even notice a mere human; (2)  They’re interested in me mildly, but only as a novelty; or (3)  They love me and purr and rumble and often surprise their caregivers by the friendly reaction I elicit.  With Joe, I’ve had a 4th reaction and it’s unique to Joe:  He Hated Me!!!  I’d met Joe on a couple different occasions, and each time, he slammed and strutted and postured, tight-lipped, tossing poop my direction and making it quite clear he rather not have anything to do with me.  Fortunately, during Joe’s first few days at GH, I’ve been “allowed” to stay near Joe without so much as a tight-lipped glance (a gorilla sign of annoyance), and Joe’s demeanor at GH is totally different than anything I’d seen of him at GPZ, much to my amazement and pleasure.  It’s as if he understands this move is a good thing.  The photo on the right shows Joe in Denver (courtesy of Jan and Tom Parkes)  - it's been up on our mantle for years, and we've shown it to all the people working on the GH project, as the inspiration for all the hard work going on.

Joe’s Journey and “staff”:  We hired Bruce Rendall, a professional animal transporter, whose air-conditioned and heated trailer could drive Joe in the GH transfer crate in comfort, for the 29 hour road trip (including rest stops) from Brownsville, which is a border town with the Mexican city of Matamoros.   Some zoos just use an animal transporter without sending their caregiver staff on such transfers, but at GH we never considered this, feeling Joe’s comfort and welfare were well worth the extra money it costs to ensure the move went well.  We hired Stephanie Scanlin, Joe’s former caregiver at GPZ, not only to accompany Joe on the move to GH, but also to stay here and help our resident caregivers, Pete and Kelly, and to make sure Joe settled in, reassured by a familiar face and old friend.   Pete Halliday, our project manager and long-time gorilla caregiver, also accompanied Joe on the road trip to GH.  And typical of the wonderful people helping Joe get to GH, his current vet at GPZ, Dr. Kim Herrin, used her own personal vacation time so that she could travel with Joe too, making sure he settled in and there were no medical problems en route. So Joe had 4 people whose sole purpose was making him happy and comfortable.  Joe was remarkably calm and curious during the long journey. Joe was fortified by grits in Mississippi and happily eating and drinking along the way, as he seemed to be quite enjoying the adventure!  The photo on the left shows Joe's arrival on Mount Kabako, where Silverback Villa is located, and the photo on the right shows Joe's travel crate, as it's being prepared to let Joe into his new home (both by Steuart Dewar).

King Kabako.  Joe’s former caregivers have described him as “a bit of a brat,” which is hardly surprising, given his life, so we’re quite willing and happy to let him be as “bratty” as he wants to be at GH.  Indeed, I don’t believe you can give animals or children too much love and if you give them freedom, choices and provide safe and appropriate boundaries for them, they can and will thrive. Ironically, the first few days at GH, we haven't seen any signs of his "brattiness" so perhaps that will be a thing of the past. Joe seems quite relaxed, curious and playful here at GH, rolling around in the hay, climbing up to look out his windows and watching with great interest and curiosity as his "staff" work around him. Joe’s developed his own unique way of commanding attention and the respect he deserves.  I’m not the only one who thinks Joe believes he’s royalty, and his human caregivers are his loyal servants.   When he wants greens or attention, he snaps his fingers or claps his hands.  When Pete met Joe for the first time, he said, “Looking into Joe’s eyes, I could almost see a scared, confused 3 year old baby gorilla still there – it’s as if he’s still a 3 year old gorilla in the body of a 40 year old silverback.”  I think this is a very apt description.  The remaining photographs show Joe in his new home: SB villa, taken within minutes of his arrival (above left and right - by Steuart and Jane Dewar).  The photos below show Joe today - left shown looking out into his outdoor cages, wondering when he can go explore (Steuart's photo) and below right taken by one of Joe's caregiver, Kelly Daugherty.

No visitors.  There will be no media or visitors allowed to see Joe for at least the first several months he’s at GH, to give him the time and space he needs to settle into his new home and environment.   At GPZ Joe would watch construction and maintenance vehicles coming and going from his quarters, so Sue Woods thinks Joe will thoroughly enjoy watching the construction of the other villas from his Palace on the hill (i.e.: Silverback Villa).  We’ve constructed an electric fence around SB villa inside the habitat, not to keep Joe in (as I’ve already said, he won’t have access to the habitat for the first several months to a year), but to keep people away from SB villa.  No one will be able to drive or walk by SB villa without being seen on our many surveillance cameras and road access will be restricted, even to our own employees.

So many people, including neighbors, still ask if they can come to see “a gorilla” at GH, but even asking that question tells me they haven’t fully understood what GH is all about, so I’ll say it again now:

·        If you want to see a gorilla, go to a zoo like Zoo Atlanta (with one of the country's largest collections of gorillas). 

·        GH is NOT for the public or for the curious. 

·        GH is for gorillas and their needs, first and foremost.  Joe’s here now and he needs/wants privacy and quiet, and that’s what we’ll give him.

Joe's Future? Since Joe’s older, he could use all the prayers, good thoughts and best wishes people can send him.  As a 40 year old gorilla, it’s unclear how much time Joe has left, despite his current good health.  Historically the oldest gorilla in captivity lived to be about 54 years old (Massa in Philadelphia) or 51 years old (Gorgeous in Salt Lake City).  Currently the oldest gorillas are both 50 years old (Mac in Houston and Jenny in Dallas). We don’t know how long Nature will let Joe live here at GH, but for however long he’s given, we hope his time here will be filled with peace, joy and happiness, that he and his kind so richly deserve.  Furthermore, if a zoo wants Joe to try again to breed and if his adverse reaction to being with other gorillas is a thing of the past, perhaps Joe will one day move from GH.  That will be up to the Gorilla SSP to decide, but meanwhile Joe will have a place here at GH for as long as he wants or needs. Photo right by Kelly Daugherty taken this afternoon as Joe was enjoying his bamboo from our neighbors on My Mountain.

Stay tuned:  I’m collecting photos, stories and recollections of Joe’s former friends from his arrival and star as a 20 lb baby in Birmingham in 1966, and will update stories of Joe as time permits.  Anyone who remembers Joe from Birmingham or Denver or Brownsville, please email me any stories or photos you would like to share!