But First, Joe: Joe’s doing much better after his procedure on April 15th, and the regurgitation has definitely lessened, thanks to his medicine therapy.  He’s back to his normal self, thankfully, and still snaps his fingers and claps his hands when he sees me, expecting a special treat, which he’s trained me to offer him whenever I visit.  It’s been a little more crazy around here than usual, and those visits haven’t been as frequent, so when I visit Joe, I bring watermelon or freshly popped popcorn, which seems to appease him.

Photo Courtesy Georgina Salup.

Super Mom Award Update: Click here to see the ultimate Super Mom Gorilla, Zoo Atlanta’s Kuchi, who deserves her own section, for obvious reasons!

Boo Today! Or, Why I Switched From NBC!

For years, the more I learned about those adorable chimps, orangutans or other primates featured in Hollywood movies, commercials, greeting cards and photos, the less amused I became.  I learned about what happens to those primates after the entertainment industry is finished with them, which usually comes around the time they reach adolescence and they cannot be controlled by their human task masters.  Often they go from an enriched home environment to medical labs or roadside zoos, where they’re injected, mistreated or ignored and since they live long lives (into their 70’s), the tragedy of these animals is heartbreaking – if only you take the time to learn more about them.  It's one thing to help the bushmeat primate orphans in Africa, but quite another realizing there is our own abuse of these animals going on in the so-called "western" world, which should know better. Recent tragic events involving our friends at Tacugama (more on that in a future update) remind us these are wild animals, not pets or entertainers, and they should be respected accordingly.

I’ve met some ex-pet chimpanzees, whose “devoted and loving owners” could no longer care for them (or just didn’t want to, in some cases), and I understand the damage done by taking primates away from their own species to use them in such unnatural ways for human entertainment.  Some people compare the role of primates as pets or in entertainment to the old racial stereotypes of the past, but I'm even more offended by it and take the comparison a bit further:  I equate using primates in entertainment or as pets to child pornography – a strong statement, but I see the similarity of taking a baby or child (human or non-human) and putting them in very unnatural situations, asking them to do things they would normally never be doing at that age (if ever), then, when they grow too big, expecting them to return to their own lives and be ‘normal’ after living such an abnormal life.  Just like child porn, I am disgusted by the use of primates in entertainment for profit, and so whenever I see a commercial, like Remax or Yahoo Tech (chimps) or Ask.Com (orangutan), I make a mental note never to use that product again, and to let all my friends know too.

The Center for Great Apes rescues chimps from Hollywood and pet owners and was featured on an April 2006 Today Show. At the start of the taped piece Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, the hosts, were holding one of these chimpanzee victims and laughing at how cute he was, as I watched, hoping they’d explain the life that chimp would be leading in another couple of years.  Instead, the “spin” NBC took on the segment wasn’t about the chimp victims, but poor “Hollyweird” which now has to pay more for these victims.  The segment made it seem like the chimpanzees, including Michael Jackson’s ex-pet, Bubbles (photo right, which I took during a visit last month) and the NBC soap opera, “Passions” ‘ nurse orangutan, BamBam, lead a lovely life, playing cute on TV and in movies, then retiring to a luxurious sanctuary in Florida, like other retired actors.  Nothing could be farther from the truth. 

Despite protests after the April show aired, on May 15th NBC’s Today Show continued their promotion of this cruelty by featuring yet another chimp, Cody, along with his trainer, the (in)famous Sid Yost, competing with perky Katie Couric to see who could use a digital camera better. That did it for me. I’m done with NBC and the Today Show, which joins my list of silent protests. To learn more about the aftermath of this kind of "entertainment", check out these websites and decide for yourself:

http://www.chimpcollaboratory.org/    ·    http://www.nomoremonkeybusiness.com    ·    http://www.prime-apes.org

And Now, Oliver: Deaf, But Far from Dumb!

“Oliver T. Barney,” (studbook #1040), was born in the Bronx Zoo, New York on 07 October 1988. As a 17 year old silverback, he’s quite a contrast from our current resident, 43 year old silverback Joe.  Oliver is unique in many ways, but his real claim to fame is the fact that he is totally deaf, the reason for which no one seems to know for sure. He wasn’t a candidate for a cochlear implant, so instead, Oliver must rely on his other senses and that means we’ll have a fun challenge ahead of us.  Good news is Oliver is incredibly smart and loves to interact with his caregivers, even allowing them to hand- inject him for his pre-shipment medical exam and to get him into his travel crate, thus reducing the stress of darting for all concerned.

Oliver’s mom, Tunuka was born in the wild in 1963 (making her Joe’s age), and now lives at the Louisville Zoo. Oliver’s father, Barney, was also wildborn, in 1972 (and died in 1998), so one day it is hoped Oliver will be in a breeding situation, since he’s got some wonderful genes to pass along. But for now, as Oliver is in his “testosterone-poisoned stage,” as us gorilla nuts refer to it, he’ll reside at Gorilla Haven, until he matures a little bit more and the Gorilla SSP (Species Survival Plan) decides when and where he should move – hopefully to a breeding situation (there's no reason to believe his deafness is genetic). A silverback gorilla leads his group by protecting them and without being able to hear, Oliver is at a distinct disadvantage. But it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that he can/will be in a small group, where he can learn to rely on his females and the others to help him in his role as leader. If not in a small breeding group, Oliver could be housed with other males, if the personalities et al work out. We'll wait and see.

People are already asking if we’ll teach Oliver sign language and the answer is no, but we will be working to use a consistent set of gestures (many of which he is already familiar with) to communicate with him.  I’ve always wondered about the fascination with apes learning to use humans’ languages and why people think that should be our goal. Instead, I’m more interested in learning the gorillas’ natural language, which includes gestures, sounds (even if Oliver can’t hear them, he may be able to feel vibrations) and looks. We want Oliver to be a gorilla first and foremost, and we’ll work with him to come up with a method of communication to facilitate that goal. Above two photos courtesy of the Bronx Zoo.

Oliver’s Gorilla Family

I first met Oliver when he was nine years old and living at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, with more Bronx gorillas, including his half brother, Koga; Kongo, a lovely older silverback (wildborn 1964); and Tumai** (born 20Jan85 to Bendera and Pattycake).  Kongo passed away at the Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida in 1998; Koga and Tumai** are still in Memphis, although they may be moving to other zoos, as part of a myriad of gorilla moves planned by the Gorilla SSP.  The photo on the left is one I snapped back in 1997 of the Memphis Zoo's sign showing a gangly, goofy Oliver as a young kid.

**Sad update: Tumai died en route to Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania on 18May06, just after this update was written. Deepest condolences to everyone at Bronx and Memphis who knew and loved him.

At the time that Oliver was born, Bronx routinely pulled new gorilla babies to be hand-reared, and this could be a factor in Oliver’s eagerness to interact with humans. Today, the practice of pulling babies is no longer done, and Bronx has had several gorillas born and mother-reared, which is much better for all concerned. As you can see in the list of Oliver’s brothers and sisters below, the former practice of pulling gorilla babies meant a lot of babies were born quickly, since the moms were able to get pregnant again right away, since they didn’t have their babies to raise. Joe has no (known) siblings or offspring in the captive population, since he was born in the wild, whereas Oliver’s captive birth means his family is known.  Oliver has no full siblings – in other words, Tunuka and Barney only made one baby together and that’s our Oliver, whose full name reflects both parents (assuming the middle initial “T” stands for his mom’s name).  But both Barney and Tunuka had several children with other partners, so Oliver has a lot of half siblings, including these gorillas who are still around today:

Half brothers:

• Gus (Augustus):  Born in the Bronx 09Aug81 to Tunuka and Bendera, and now living in the all male group at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida.

• Koga:  Born 14Aug87 to Tunuka and Kongo, and still living in Memphis, Tennessee, but may be moving soon as part of the SSP moves for 2006.

• Patrick: Born in the Bronx on 13Apr90 to Pattycake and Barney, and now living at the Dallas Zoo in Texas. 

• Husani: Born at the Bronx 14Dec91 to Pattycake and Barney and now living at the Zoo at Gulf Breeze in Florida.

Half sisters: 

• Catherine: Born in Toronto on 18May83 to Barney and Caroline and now at the Little Rock Zoo, Arkansas.

• Tunko (Joanie):  Born in the Bronx 04Oct84 to Tunuka and Kongo and still at the Bronx, New York.

• Paki:  Born in the Bronx 26May89 to Pattycake and Barney, and who now lives with Oliver’s mom, Tunuka and others at the Louisville Zoo, Kentucky.

• Tusa:   Born in the Bronx 02Dec89 to Tunuka and Kongo, and now living at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

• Asha: Born 05Oct92 to Juju and Barney at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she still resides.

• Zuri:  Full sister to Asha, born31Dec96 (Juju and Barney) at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and now living at the Calgary Zoo in Canada.

• Kumi:  Born in the Bronx on 30Jun98 to Tunuka and Timmy, where she still lives.

Bronx Cheers!

After more delays than any of us wanted, Wednesday May 10, 2006 was the scheduled arrival date for Oliver. Two supervisors from the Bronx Zoo drove Oliver from New York to GH non-stop, taking turns driving to get him here as soon as safely possible.  The journey was delayed a bit with traffic and bad weather, which wasn’t good for Oliver, who did not enjoy his journey, the way Joe enjoyed his, illustrating just one of many differences between the two GH gorillas.  Joe was purring and eating well the entire 29 hour journey from Texas, clearly enjoying the changes and new sights, sounds and smells along the way – especially the Waffle House grits in Mississippi!  Oliver’s caregivers reported while he was calm most of the way, sleeping through the night as they drove, when they ran over speed bumps or rumble strips in the road, Oliver would get upset.  A “Bronx Cheer,” also known as a “raspberry”, is when you stick your tongue out and blow, making a nasty sound.  Some gorillas ‘raspberry” when they’re annoyed or as part of a display. Some chimps I know also ‘raspberry’ to get attention.  Stop and go traffic was another annoyance for Oliver, and at times his drivers reported the truck would rock and roll in the rhythm of the road and Oliver’s displays, as I’m sure he was giving his own version of the Bronx cheer!  Oliver had been given a valium to help him relax a bit on the journey, but adrenalin is stronger than valium and in a young silverback like Oliver, this isn’t surprising.

Speaking of cheering, the staff at the Bronx Zoo deserve a special cheer of their own, of the best kind! Tuesday, May 9^th, one of Oliver’s favorite caregivers at the Bronx, Jason, was sent on ahead, flying into Atlanta and driving to GH to help us prepare for Oliver’s arrival.  This, by the way, didn’t surprise me, but it did impress me, since it showed how much Oliver means to the Bronx, that they would invest in his welfare by making sure the best and sufficient staff accompanied him to settle him in. Bronx Zoo has 27 other gorillas and, as odd as it seems to a gorilla-nut like me, even other wonderful species like red river hogs, okapi, tigers, reptiles, etc, etc.  So to give one individual gorilla so much support made me glad to know how cherished and loved Oliver is, and how honored GH feels to be given the trust, honor and responsibility to take good care of their precious boy.

Oliver’s Arrival

Around 1 pm we got a call from one of our contractors, saying he just happened to pass a Bronx Zoo truck on the four-lane (the main highway through this area, which is the only 4-lane highway in over 100 miles and thus named accordingly).  We were expecting them any time after noon and 2 pm so this was a good and unexpected head’s up, and I drove to the end of our driveway to await their arrival and snap the photo on the left.  Mark, one of our contractors who puts up the steel buildings for us (thanks BBSI – Better Buildings Systems!) had agreed to come and operate one of their heavy-duty forklifts, since our tractor wasn’t equipped to handle the Bronx crate, which weighed 2,200 pounds empty, and had a rambunctious 375 pound silverback in it! Once the Bronx truck drove up to Emma Villa, Mark was ready to unload the crate and position it so we could get Oliver into his new home as soon as safely and humanly possible. With Joe, we'd used own our travel crate, which has adjustable legs and is made of lighter-weight steel, designed to hook up to our villas quickly and easily. We had to figure out how to use Bronx's heavier and bigger crate to do the same thing, so we had plans A, B, C and D worked out and were lucky plan A worked so well, thanks to Mark's expertise!

Unloading Oliver – Beam Me Up, Marky!

Oliver was not a happy camper. No one blamed him either. He’d been in the crate for over 24 hours and he wanted out, but he also could see and smell all new things and people wearing masks (since Oliver will be in quarantine while at Emma, as well as for health reasons).  The big fork lift Mark was going to use to pick up the crate and move it into position is called a “teleporter” and all I could think about was wishing it were a ‘real’ teleporter, like in a Star Trek episode, and we could simply “beam” Oliver from his crate into his new home, without further ado. When the fork lift approached the truck to pick up the crate, Oliver’s screams of displeasure turned to screams of sheer terror and I nearly broke down in tears of sympathy for the confusion and fear poor Oliver must have felt. This was quite a contrast to our move of Joe just over 3 years earlier, since Joe thought it was all a fun party and he was the star attraction. Joe never screamed and only did some exuberant “hurry-up-let-me-see-my-new-place!” kinds of chestbeats.

I suggested we cover the front end of the crate with a tarp, and before they did this, I asked Mark to back up the forklift, while Oliver could see it retreating, which seemed to calm him a bit … a very little bit.  Trying to be the good guy, I even gestured wildly, for Oliver’s benefit, telling the “bad forklift, to leave Oliver alone!” Oliver could no longer see or hear the forklift coming to lift the crate, but he could see out the side door, where I nodded reassuringly at him – although he didn’t know who I was and probably figured I was just another mask-wearing-human out to get him!  But the screaming continued, albeit not as bad, as Mark impressively maneuvered the crate within inches of the transfer cage door, where it was bolted and the doors readied to open once everyone checked and double checked things were in place. In the photo right, Pete Halliday (left in picture) is checking the orientation of the crate as Jason looks on (right in picture).

With Joe, we initially just let him into the transfer cage, until we assessed his state of mind and knew he wouldn’t freak out. Within 5 minutes, Joe got access to the D cage and since it was colder weather then, it was a couple days before he had access to all cages, including the outside ones.  Based on Oliver’s state of mind, I asked his caregivers and our own staff, if we could let Oliver have access to all 3 indoor cages as soon as he was released into the transfer cage, and they agreed.  As soon as we opened the door of his crate to the transfer cage, Oliver barged out and ran around like a banshee, strutting and posturing and running so fast, it’s all a blur now, as I try to remember where he went first!  But he went to all 4 insides cages within the first few minutes and the screaming quickly lessened then stopped, thankfully. After a little while, since the weather was lovely and warm, we let Oliver have access to the outside cages too and he quickly ran outside to have a look, figuring out how to use the heavy plastic door flaps like a pro (photo right), even though he didn’t use them at the Bronx.

Differences in Gorillas.

As we prepared to remove the crate for its return to the truck and ride back to New York, Oliver had a while to look over his new home.  He never stayed one place long and it seemed he was intently studying every aspect of Emma Villa.  Whereas Joe loves being on the higher elevations of his villa, Oliver’s initial favorite spot seems to be under the gorilla stairs (photo right), in the corner, where perhaps he feels he can safely watch all around him. Unlike Joe, Oliver is a nest builder, so the hay and other bedding materials we’ve offered Joe in the past which has remained more or less untouched, will be used. Whereas Joe seems to think of enrichment items as a delay in immediate gratification, Oliver apparently loves a good puzzle feeder, so finally enrichment queen Kelly will have a gorilla who appreciates her efforts to create a new and different environment! And whereas Joe casually collects his scattered food, since he’s lived alone and hasn’t had any competition for it, Oliver grabs his grub quickly and efficiently. The photo on the left shows Oliver in a huge peanut barrel puzzle, where he must shake the peanuts out of the holes in the barrel (yep, that's a peanut in his mouth, as he's an expert at this game!).

Joe and Oliver – Do They Know the Other is There?

Silverback Villa is on the opposite hilltop from Emma Villa (see diagram left) and with the trees in full bloom, it’s difficult but not impossible to see from one villa to the other, if you’re in the right spot at the right time. If Joe has access to his habitat (i.e.: on the grass, and not just in the outside cages), it is possible to see him from Emma Villa. Perhaps Oliver has already seen him (photo right shows Oliver looking out over the habitat) or will see him in the near future.  Kelly was cleaning Silverback Villa and said she could definitely hear the door flaps opening and closing as Oliver went in/out of his cages, so Joe can definitely hear, and possibly smell Oliver. I wonder what Joe thought of the noises from across the valley when Oliver was screaming and the forklift’s engines were whirring?  When I went to say hi to Joe Wednesday afternoon, to reassure him he’s always going to be GH’s Number One Boy, he was very calm and relaxed, just snapping his fingers and asking for treats, so if he knew we’d been with another gorilla, he wasn’t going to let on.

If Joe looks across at Emma Villa (some 500' away), he’ll be able to see Oliver too, but for now Oliver will only be visible through the mesh of his outside cages, since Oliver’s habitat access isn’t ready, so he’ll be inside Emma Villa’s cages for the next couple of months, or so, as he completes his quarantine. Quarantine just means visitors will be restricted and anyone visiting or working with both Joe and Oliver need to change their clothes, wear masks, etc. so germs or bugs are inadvertently transferred between them.

He Likes Me!

I’ve been to see Oliver briefly daily.  Jason left on Saturday, after being satisfied Oliver was not only settling in well, but quicker than expected, sitting in a relaxed pose as people (strangers to Oliver) came and went, and not getting puffed up at some of the bigger men around. Again, the contrast between Joe and Oliver shows up in their tastes.  Joe loves men – the bigger and grayer the better.  Oliver prefers women, according to Jason and previous reports.  After more than 3 years, Joe finally doesn’t hate me. He tolerates me and lately, I’m beginning to think I amuse him, since he has me so well trained.  Oliver, on the other hand, already has calmly accepted treats from me, and after I offered him a farm-fresh beefsteak-tomato I’d picked up from the local farmer’s market, and said goodbye (gesturing to my car), Oliver did a sex-rumble, something Joe does for men, but never in a million years for the likes of me! When I get ready to leave, Oliver follows to see where I’ve gone, but as soon as he sees me again, he gets annoyed, as if to be embarrassed he was discovered following me, then strutting and displaying like the mucho-macho boy he thinks he is … ahhh, testosterone!

Sounds and Smells

I’m learning all the time, and Oliver’s arrival has taught me more each day. After decades of visiting gorillas in zoos, I thought I knew the smell of a silverback gorilla – a musty, sometimes pungent body-odor scent I find wonderful, but other less hearty enthusiasts find offending.  For three years, I’ve known “Eau du Joe” and just assumed it was your generic gorilla smell.  I was wrong. As soon as they opened the truck where Oliver was in his crate, a whiff of a definitely-gorilla, but definitely-different-gorilla almost knocked me over.  Sure enough, as all keepers working daily with gorillas can confirm, individual gorillas have their own sounds, personality, tastes, etc, they have their own smells too.  Who knew? I wonder if Joe could smell Oliver – surely he could, but that didn’t seem to bother him.

Then I got to hear Oliver’s purr for the first time.  A gorilla purr, like Joe’s, is a lovely, magical sound – like a rumble, low and guttural coming from the base of the throat and reverberating like a cat’s purr.  Joe’s purr is often directly in response to our talking to him.  Kelly will walk by and blow him a kiss and say “I love you Joe!” and he’ll purr back (it’s so cute!).  When we leave and say goodbye, Joe will often purr.  Gorillas eating a favorite treat will purr – indeed, some even sing, but that’s another chapter!  Oliver’s purr is almost like a whalesong … it’s so low you almost don’t hear it at first. That got me to wonder if, like human deaf people who learn to speak, did Oliver’s purr sound lower so he could feel the vibrations more?  Someone who’s always been deaf and learns to speak has a distinctive sound to their voice too.  Hmmmm, there’s so much more I have to learn, and I can’t wait to learn from Joe and Oliver!

We’re gathering photos of Oliver as a baby in the Bronx as well as from Memphis, so if you have any photos you’d like to share, please let us know. Meanwhile, we’ll keep you posted on Oliver and Joe, as we’ve done in the past.  There are still a few minor odds and ends to finish up at Emma Villa, then construction of Bonz and Pitchou Villas proceeds, as well as the group building, which means GH will still be a construction site for a few years longer!  Steuart's computerized gorilla door controls which he designs and builds himself (see photo right) are working well at Emma and now we just have to figure out how to get them and everything else built for the remaining buildings, so we can welcome more gorillas on our waiting list!