Oliver, relaxing in the sun.
Oliver with Baby Goat
Oliver’s goats are a huge disappointment
. Named Briggs and
Stratton, since we thought they’d mow the habitat, as well as keep Oliver
company, they have been stripped of those names and are now officially
called Mama and Baby Goat. They refuse to eat grass and Baby Goat
especially cannot understand why they should, when the gorilla food is so
much tastier!
We’ve tried putting Oliver’s peanuts, primate biscuits, browse, etc, up on ledges so the goats can’t jump into the outside cages to eat what Oliver has left behind. But Oliver just comes along and uses his long arms to clear off the swings and ledges, scattering the food below, as Mama and Baby come running. They’re now the fattest goats ever and so we’re re-thinking things, only feeding Oliver the more fattening parts of his diet inside, where the goats can’t venture.
The photo (left) and video (on the right) of Oliver and Baby goat shown here were taken before the goats were put on a diet. But the video shows how relaxed both goat and gorilla are when sharing a picnic. Even with the goat being an uninvited guest, Oliver is a gracious host, only gently motioning for her to get out of his way, as she runs and stumbles to move. We've now lost count of the times Oliver and the goats were close enough to touch and this video shows the rare occasion when Oliver asks for some space, from the little cuties! He could catch them any time, but seems to enjoy the company and they just think he's the biggest goat they've ever seen.
We're grateful Oliver is deaf and can't hear the constant baaaaa'ing complaints of Mama and Baby! It's a good thing Mama and Baby are so adorable and cute!
Oliver figured out the new enrichment device immediately! Clever Boy!