Tebe’s Miracle and
other reasons to visit England…
Update – 01 May 2000
by
Jane Dewar
Naming the roads, hollows, ridges,
fields, buildings, etc, at Gorilla Haven is a fun job, which falls to me. Although the locals who work for us often complain the names
are too difficult to remember, soon they come to understand why things at GH
are named after gorillas – my favorite ones at that. I recently went to England for a quick visit some of my old
friends, for whom parts of GH are named …
BONZ’S
HOLLOW: The hollow where Phase I
will be is Bonz’s Hollow, named after a gorilla at Port Lympne called Mataki.
Much to Mr. Aspinall’s frustration, his keepers called him Bonz when
he was a baby and the name stuck. I
met Bonz when he was a toddler in with a group of juveniles being hand-reared
at Howletts in the early 1990’s. I
knew he was a boy by the way he strutted and postured each time he saw me and
soon I was smitten. After one of
his magnificent mini-silverback displays, Bonz would suck his finger, almost
swallowing his entire fist in the process.
As a baby, this was adorable to watch.
As a fully grown, gorgeous silverback, however, this defines gorilla
goofiness! Bonz is leading a group which includes seven male
gorillas ranging in age from 12 to 7 years old – one of the largest (if not
THE largest) all male gorilla groups in captivity.
Photo
of Bonz left by Phil Ridges taken Feb 2000, and photo right by Jane Dewar taken April
2000.
DJALA
RIDGE: A prominent ridge line
behind the gatehouse is named after Djala, my old
pal I first met at Howletts. Watching
him grow from youngster to silverback has been a privilege and seeing him with
his group of eleven members is awe-inspiring.
This photo was taken under difficult lighting conditions – his left
eye has a round growth over it, which doesn’t cause him any problems, but
which makes him look a little funny!
Photo
of Djala left by Jane Dewar taken April
2000.
KUMBA
PEAK: I know at least six
gorillas named Kumba, a popular name (from a city in Cameroon), and the top of
a mountain at GH is named for all of them.
But on this trip I saw Chessington Kumba again and almost wept from joy.
Asili (ironically, who’s father was also called Kumba!) and Kumba had
a baby in January 1999. Mjukuu,
is now a happy, thriving toddler and play-mate to big sister, Buu.
Sadly, Chessington (outside London) is going to re-do their gorilla
exhibit, destroying the years of hard work it took to make this group one of
the rare ones, with 3 generations of gorillas together, lead by a male, who
– like Willie B. – was thought to be beyond his prime, but who proves with
love, compassion and respect for gorillas, they can surprise you.
Our friend, Ian Williams, has left Chessington out of frustration at
managements’ policies and apparent lack of concern for the gorilla's
welfare.
Photo
of Kumba's daughter Buu, left by Jane Dewar taken April
2000.
SIDONIE
RIDGE: Sidonie is most likely mentally challenged, but now that she’s in a family
group with other females, she seems to be calmer and happier, than when I
first met her and she was in with an all male group.
When she looks at you, you think she’s got the weight of the world on
her shoulders, until she opens her mouth and flaps a greeting to you (much
like female gorilla Kumba, at Lincoln Park in Chicago does) … She doesn’t
like her photo taken, so I was lucky to get the latest photos of my sweet
Sidonie, who has a ridge named after her at Gorilla Haven.
Photo
of Sidonie left by Jane Dewar taken April
2000.
TEBE’s
TRAIL: Tebe’s Trail is the road
surrounding Phase I of GH, encompassing almost 60 acres. The miracle of Tebe
far exceeds her
survival. For years, it was believed Tebe could never have her own baby.
Despite breeding with proven males, Tebe never got pregnant and an
ultra-sound by a human gynecologist during a medical exam, showed she had no
uterus and only one ovary. You
can imagine the shock when keepers found Tebe cradling a baby last year!
Unfortunately, as is the case with so many gorilla first-time mothers
– in the wild and in captivity – the baby didn’t survive. But the miracle did and when I heard Tebe was pregnant again by Kifu, I
vowed I’d travel to
England to see the new baby, no matter what!
On
March 10, 2000 Tebe gave birth to her second child, a boy named Kibu.
On April 18, 2000 I was at Howletts, as Tebe looked over at me and I
nodded my respect and regards, blubbering like a proud grandmother, laughing
and crying at how beautiful the baby was and what a great job Tebe was doing
as a mom. She allowed me to take
the most amazing photos of the baby, as well as getting some wonderful video
tape, glancing over at me from time to time as if to say “Are
you sure you’re getting all this?”
Photo
of Tebe left by Steve Langley, and two photos right of Tebe and Kibu by Jane
Dewar taken April
2000.
BONZ’S
HOLLOW: The hollow where Phase I
will be is Bonz’s Hollow, named after a gorilla at Port Lympne called Mataki.
Much to Mr. Aspinall’s frustration, his keepers called him Bonz when
he was a baby and the name stuck. I
met Bonz when he was a toddler in with a group of juveniles being hand-reared
at Howletts in the early 1990’s. I
knew he was a boy by the way he strutted and postured each time he saw me and
soon I was smitten. After one of
his magnificent mini-silverback displays, Bonz would suck his finger, almost
swallowing his entire fist in the process.
As a baby, this was adorable to watch.
As a fully grown, gorgeous silverback, however, this defines gorilla
goofiness! Bonz is leading a group which includes seven male
gorillas ranging in age from 12 to 7 years old – one of the largest (if not
THE largest) all male gorilla groups in captivity.
