Joe’s First Month at Gorilla Haven

All photos by Jane or Steuart Dewar, unless otherwise indicated.

by Jane Dewar, 27Apr2003

Today is the fourth Sunday Joe has spent at Gorilla Haven, and while that’s not such a long time, in some ways it seems like Joe’s been here forever.  His routine is pretty established and while he can’t verbalize it, I think everyone who sees him agrees, he’s relaxed, confident and ‘happy,’ although some scientists might argue with that assessment, claiming animals don’t have “emotions” like happiness.  Just one look into Joe’s silky brown eyes, however, could soften the hardest cynic.  Indeed, his caregiver at Gladys Porter Zoo for 4 years, Stephanie Scanlin, is working at GH while Joe settles in and says: “I don't think I could have believed Joe adjusted as well as he did, and continues to do, without seeing it with my own eyes. He is a new gorilla... calm, comfortable and relaxed in this new environment.”  Photo left by Stephanie Scanlin.
 

A “Shifty” Character:  Joe’s surprised virtually everyone with how fast and how well he’s adjusted to his new environment.  He now shifts (ie: moves from cage to cage when asked) without problems or delay, as long as his caregivers give him the choice and time he needs.  The first day we let him into the outside cages, Joe was so intrigued with his views, the weather, smells, sounds, etc, it took 3 hours to get him inside, where we wanted him to spend the night, since temperatures in the mountains drop dramatically at night and we didn’t want him to catch a cold.  But Joe came in as soon as the sun set over the mountains, and that was the last time it took that long to shift him. Now Joe seems to understand if/when we ask him to come inside (or go outside, when we need to clean the inside cages), he’ll eventually have access to all four of his cages again.

A squeeze cage is a small cage between the two main inside cages, with a weighing platform as a floor and a moving back wall that pushes an animal to the front of the cage for visual inspection, anaesthetization, or other procedures.

Joe-Cam:  Steuart works late (until about 3 a.m.) and  I’m usually up early (6:30 to 7 a.m.) and we can watch Joe on our “Joe-Cam”, a video camera system which shows us the 2 inside cages 24 hours a day (the 2 outdoor cages will get video feeds soon).  So when we’re at our desks at the cabin, we can see what Joe’s doing from a quarter mile away, even when no one’s up at SB villa with him.  Soon Joe-Cam will be in the administration building too, so Pete and Kelly can watch him from their own desks.  Eventually we’ll have Joe-Cam on our website, so anyone can watch Joe over the Internet, but that’s not the highest priority, so it will take a year or more to get that up and running, so be patient!

A Day in the Life of Joe at GH: A typical day starts around 8 a.m. when his caregivers arrive at Silverback Villa to check on Joe, who likes to sleep in the “D” cage, although he has access to the squeeze and “C” cages as well.  If it’s nice outside, Joe can go outside for his breakfast, but the cooler mornings of spring usually mean his caregivers will close him into the “C” cage and give him his breakfast, while they clean out the “D” cage and get that ready for him again.  All four cages are cleaned daily, and once the morning cleaning routine is done, Joe has access to the entire villa.

Joe’s Typical Daily Diet:  Joe’s weight has fluctuated greatly during his time in captivity, and he’s gone from being diagnosed as “anorexic” to being overweight over the years.  Now he’s weighing in at a healthy 350 lbs or so, and his diet is geared at maintaining that weight, factoring in the extra exercise he’s getting.  I’m calling Joe “The Dick Clark” of gorillas, since while he’s an older animal, he looks years younger and very healthy and handsome! Joe’s average daily diet is shown in the box, but things change daily, depending on what we find in the markets and what Joe’s mood dictates.   It’s about 20 pounds of food total and just over 4,000 calories a day, modified based on Joe’s weight and appetite.

Yes, They Give No Free Bananas:  Amazingly enough, no local grocery stores – Harry’s Farmer’s Market in Atlanta (now a Whole Foods Store), the Super Walmart or Publix will agree to donate food for Joe, as they fear lawsuits (even though we offered to completely indemnify them) and claim it’s against corporate policy.  So Joe’s food bills come out of our own pocket and I’ve been doing all the shopping for him, which fills up my Dodge Durango to its rooftop ... And dumpsters in the area are filled with perfectly good food going to waste.  Go figure.  Luckily, the Gorilla Garden at GH will soon be producing its own fresh vegetables (lettuce, corn, green beans, peas, peppers, herbs, strawberries, blackberries, tomatoes, etc) and our food bill will be reduced.  Joe’s a funny eater, and unlike most gorillas I’ve known, food isn’t a big motivator for him all the time – perhaps since he’s never had to worry about or work for food, competing with other gorillas.

Breakfast: 

  • 1-2 bananas (not too ripe, please)
  • 2 or 3 apples (Gala and Granny Smith seem to be favorites)
  • 1-2 oranges (all kinds, especially the inside of the peels)
  • 1 pear (he likes Asian pears, since they’re so expensive and he knows we’re suckers and will do most anything for him!)
  • Greens (various lettuces, spinach, kale, turnip greens, cabbage) – Joe loves a good salad!
  • Romaine lettuce – one head – one of his favorites (ours too!)
  • Celery – a whole stalk – this used to be his favorite, but at GH he usually eats this last, after eating all the other goodies.
  • Carrots – about 2 carrots, but again, these he’ll eat only when he’s in the mood or really hungry.
  • 1 Sweet potato – uncooked
  • 1 Corn on the cob in the husk – he eats the inside first, holding the corn straight up; then he goes back and eats the husk and cob while snacking later.

Afternoon snack:

  • Scatter feed (to make Joe “work” for his food, get exercise and look for treats like he’d do in the wild).  It usually is a mixture of peanuts (unsalted, in the shell, raisins (all kinds); dried fruit; sugarless cereal/granola; greens (mixed lettuce scattered, not as a bunch); and “browse” which includes approved branches from a variety of trees and bushes (willow is a favorite, but he likes Bradford pear, forsythia, and bamboo, which he strips the leaves, then eats the bark).  The gorillas at Zoo Atlanta love kudzu, the ubiquitous weed that grows all over the Southeast, but we haven’t offered that to Joe yet, to see if he’ll enjoy it too.

Dinner:

  • A repeat of breakfast, more or less, bananas, apples, pears, greens, celery, corn, PLUS
  • Endive chicory lettuce (expensive and hard to find, but a favorite treat)
  • 1 red or yellow pepper (he’s not too keen on the green peppers)
  • Maintenance Primate Biscuits – sometimes called “Monkey Chow”, which most zoos use to assure proper nutrition is available, especially when fresh fruit and vegetables aren’t always available in sufficient quantities.



Left: Joe having breakfast at his old home in
Brownsville, Texas
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Scanlin


Joe with some browse.


Lazy days and social climbing:  When he’s not patrolling his villa, making sure all’s right in Joe-World, Joe likes to chill out and lay on his back and cross his legs (center photo by Dr. Rita McManamon, other the 4 by Steuart).  Stephanie reports he used to snore when he napped.  The first days outside, Joe tried climbing up the outside cages, but it was clear his lack of climbing for the years before coming to GH had weakened his muscles, so he doesn’t climb outside as much as he does inside, where we have large stairs designed for older gorillas (and older gorilla keepers!) to climb more easily (see the 4th photo from the left).  To help encourage Joe to climb again, we installed climbing bars in the outside cages (right photo), which he’ll use to reach goodies his caregivers place higher up, but so far he prefers to stay on the ground when he’s outside.  We’re designing steps for the outside cages for Joe and maybe he’ll realize his views will be better from higher up, if he climbs more outside.

Purring Joe:  We’ve allowed our non-caregiver staff (all have been tested for TB and aren’t allowed too close to the cages or Joe) to meet Joe and he’s shown a distinctive preference for men with beards.  While Joe hated me when we met a couple times in Texas, here he tolerates me, but I’m more a mild diversion than someone he enjoys, like Pete and Steuart.  I usually bring Joe treats, like browse - but that gets me as much appreciation as giving a cat a treat:  Joe seems to think it’s my duty to find him good treats and I should be honored to serve him (I am).  Sometimes while sitting near Joe, we’ll hear the contented sound gorillas make when they’re happy – a throaty purr.  Often, he purrs almost constantly and everyone can’t help but smile and share in his contentment.  Stephanie says he’s been more vocal in the past few weeks at GH than he was in the 4 years she worked with him in Texas, and since all the sounds we’re hearing are happy sounds, this is a good thing. Photo right by Stephanie Scanlin.

When Pete or Steuart are around, however, the purr takes on a deeper, more rumbling sound, and Joe’s entire body shudders with a more sexual purr/rumble that gorillas make to let others know they’re enjoying the company more than usual!  It’s pretty funny, since Joe’s never shown any interest in breeding, so we’re not sure what he means or wants, other than to express his adoration for these bearded guys.

Pest Control - Gorilla Style: Benny, the C.A.T. of Gorilla Haven since Crombie passed away last August, spends most of his days at Kelly’s desk, allowing her to share the chair when she’s working in the office.  The photo on the left shows Benny hard at work on Kelly's desk last July (photo by Kelly Daugherty).  All our dogs and cats are kept outside the 60 acre Phase 1, but cats more or less go when and where they like and things like hotwire don't deter them.  Gorillas and cats have been friends through the years, including Toto, a gorilla kept in Cuba in the early 1900's, Koko, the signing gorilla in California, and Gorgeous, an elderly gorilla formerly at Utah Hogle's Zoo.  There was a cat at the vet hospital where Joe lived for years, and we're told he's familiar with cats and dogs and other animals and doesn't seem to mind, as long as Joe stays the center of attention.  So we let Benny come and go into the facility, since he's a good mouser (and such a great character we have to pat down visitors when they leave, since everyone threatens to take him home with them!).  The other 19 cats aren't as interested and stay near the barns and cabin, outside the facility.  So far, Benny’s been out of sight, but a week ago, Benny appeared before we knew it and Joe was intrigued and Benny did a kitty-double-take when he finally saw Joe, as you can see in the 2 right photos.

Day’s End:  By 4:30 p.m. Joe is usually back in his “D” cage, waiting for his dinner, which comes any time between then and 6 p.m.  Joe prefers eating in the “D” cage – possibly since it was the first cage he was allowed into when he arrived and it’s most familiar, or since it’s where he also prefers to sleep, even though he has access to the squeeze and the “C” cage at nights too.  Joe also can look out the window from the “D” cage to see his caregivers coming and going down Silverback Ridge to the food prep building and maybe that’s why he likes the “D” cage.  When the summer months mean the temperatures are mild during the nights, we’ll let Joe have access to all 4 cages 24 hours a day (except when we’re cleaning them) and it will be interesting to see if the “D” cage remains his favorite spot.

Showers by Joe:   Steuart and I will often end our day with a visit with Joe as he eats his dinner.  By 7 p.m. Joe usually “tells” us it’s time for bed, by climbing to the top stair in the “D” cage and laying down, casually munching on some browse or food.  He used to get quite upset when we left (ok, when Pete or Steuart left – he didn’t mind if I left!), getting agitated and sometimes spitting water at Pete or anyone else in his way, showing his frustration that people were leaving.  One evening, as we were standing outside the villa after saying goodnight to Joe, I peaked in the window to see Joe filling his cheeks with water, then spitting across the hallway at me, as if to say “You creep! How DARE you take Steuart away from me!”  I went around to tell the others about this, after seeing Joe re-filling his mouth with water and climbing up to the brachiating bars to look out the window at us all leaving.  As I was about to say something, I looked up to see Joe’s big face appear in the window, his cheeks all puffed up with water, then with all his strength, he spit the water out at us below him.  The only problem was the window was closed and all the water Joe spit out, ricocheted back and splashed him in the face, as he jumped back, startled at the self-induced shower.  I had to turn away, so I wouldn’t laugh at him where he could see me (silverbacks need their dignity, even when behaving ridiculously), but the others looked up to see the window getting a huge shower and Joe quickly disappearing from view, trying to regain his composure.  I’m happy to report, Joe hasn’t had any spitting episodes in weeks, as he now seems to understand his fans will return, just like the sun will rise and bring another day in paradise.

Full Circle:  After he starts to settle in for bed, Joe moves around a couple of times but generally by 9 p.m. he’s settled and asleep on the top stair of the “D” cage.  By the time I see him again on Joe-Cam in the early morning, Joe’s moved to the ground and by 7:45 a.m. or so, I see him sitting up and waiting for his caregivers to arrive, sometimes looking out the window for them, but usually just waiting sitting in the squeeze cage or patrolling the indoor cages looking for bits of goodies he missed from the day before.

Research Has Begun: 
 Dr. Tara Stoinski at Zoo Atlanta has asked for urine samples from Joe to be collected daily, as part of an on-going study of cortisol and testosterone levels in male gorillas.  Joe is especially interesting to this study, since he’s an isolated gorilla and no one knows if or how this affects him physiologically. Many other gorillas are housed alone, but near other gorillas, so Joe is rare in that he's been away from other gorillas for years. King at Monkey Jungle and Otto at the Chimp Farm (both in Florida) are the only other 2 male gorillas this isolated that I know about.

Cortisol and Testosterone in Male Gorillas
T.S. Stoinski, K.E. Lukas & C. Kuhar

The current trend of zoos is to house gorillas in natural social units in order to allow species-typical interactions and to provide opportunities for educating the public about the natural history of these animals.  However, housing gorillas in social breeding units, with one adult male for several adult females, inevitably means that some males will not have female social partners.  Three alternatives exist for these ‘surplus’ individuals: isolation (or partial isolation if the individual is rotated between groups), euthanasia, or integration into an all-male group (Johnstone-Scott, 1988).  The most acceptable solution to zoo professionals is the third, and as a result, the last decade has seen an increasing interest by zoos in all-male groups (Johnstone-Scott, 1988). Currently, 10 institutions house a total of 28 individuals in all-male groups.  However, there are now approximately 80 males under 12 years of age in the captive population.  Thus, additional bachelor groups will be needed in the near future.

We have been investigating the issue of all-male gorilla groups for the past six years from a variety of perspectives, including behavior, physiology, and personality (Stoinski et al., 2001; 2002).  Currently, we are in the process of collecting behavioral and physiological data from males in a number of social settings.  One of our primary areas of interest is stress as a function of housing.  For example, is living alone or with other adult males associated with increased stress in male gorillas?   Such data are essential to guiding our long-term management decisions with respect to male gorillas.

Off to Africa:  I’ll be going to Limbe in Cameroon 13-28 May to see how the bushmeat orphans are doing, as our on-going efforts to increase awareness of the perils gorillas still face in the wild continue.  Joe will be in good hands and I can’t wait to see my beloved friends – human and non-human primates – at the Limbe Wildlife Centre.