Monday, June 04, 2007

Gorillas in the daisies

One of Bristol Zoo's star attractions is the the Western Lowland Gorillas. The zoo is home to three adult gorillas, Jock, who is a 20 year old male, Salome who is a 27 year old female and Romina who is a 23 year old female. The photo above is of Salome who was sat outside on 'Gorilla Island' enjoying the sun, while her baby, called Komale played nearby. The picture below is of Komale as he tried to follow his mother and his comfort blankie got caught on a twig making him look like a caped crusader!

Below is another shot of Komale and Salome together. It was so sweet the way Komale carried his blanket around with him, and other than the fact that he used his mouth to carry it a lot of the time was just like a human child in many ways.

Gorillas are vegetarian and they were enjoying some ripe tomatoes and bananas at the time with obvious enjoyment. Western Lowland Gorillas come from areas of dense forest and swamp in West Africa, and are seriously threatened in the wild. The forests where they live are being exploited for timber and the gorillas are being hunted for their meat and for bush medicine.The Western Lowland Gorilla is the most populous species but it is likely that there are only approximately 80-100,000 individuals in the wild today. Bristol Zoo supports conservation work to protect wild gorillas in Cameroon.


The final photo is of the daddy gorilla, Jock. He was sat apart from mother and baby, trying to enjoy some peace and quiet while he ate his banana. At one point Komale ran over and started to climb him and he sat there impassively until Komale got bored and wandered off to play elsewhere. It really was a pleasure to see these gorillas at close quarters.

19 comments:

Beckie said...

I love this blog - it is a mini lesson everytime I stop by!

The gorillas are great. My favorite is the Mom in the daisies.

JAM said...

Amazing creatures, and great photos. The baby must be a big hit for the zoo, I'm sure folks come just to see him.

kenju said...

I love your photos and the one in the daisies is good enough to be in National Geographic! The caped crusader is great!

Melody said...

Your photos are awesome - so crisp and clear. Love them. Gorillas are marvellous aren't they?

Little Miss Muffet said...

loved the first pic..absolutely amazing!

utenzi said...

The zoo nearest me has several gorillas also, BK, but the enclosure, while natural, isn't nearly as big as the one you've got pictured here. It's a shame since I'm sure they'd love to have more room to roam about and have a bit of privacy. Love your pictures!

Niall young said...

You mentioned on my site the 'ying/yang'..I think you've captured a good contrast here..the huge powerful Gorilla and the fragile daisy...what a wonderful picture!..the truth is that the Gorilla is actually a very gentle peace loving creature..yhough I'd prefere not to put it to the test.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

What FABULOUS pictures B-K...And such amazingly wonderful creatures! That picture of Komale wrapped in his blanket, near his Momma...PRICELESS! So sweet...You take the best best pictures Bob-Kat...Truly!
I love that that zoo is so dedicated to preservation...!
Thanks for taking me on this wonderful trip.

Anonymous said...

Amazing animals aren't they? Those expressions speak volumes.

The baby carrying a blanket is a hoot!

craziequeen said...

ooh - I so love gorillas (and chimps and orangs and - and - ).....I have Dian Fossey's autobiography and her biography at home.

I love Komale and his blankie cape - SuperGriller!

cq

Shephard said...

I love watching gorillas. What a nice way to spend an afternoon (or morning). Great photos.

Michele sent me this time!
~S

Anonymous said...

Just stopping by again to say hi BK...hope everything is going ok.

Juggling Mother said...

Whenever we go to Bristol Zoo, the gorilla's seem to hide:-(

Fantastic pictures.

Here from Micheles today

Bernie said...

And I thought I was looking in a mirror... & I like sitting amongst the flowers too!!!
Here from Michele's on a wet Fiday evening...
Bernie

rashbre said...

Great pictures of the gorillas. The 'through the leaves' shots add a real explorer feel to the pictures.

I remember being in the Animal Kingdom in Florida watching some gorillas playing and I stayed for ages. It was really facinating and they had a young one with them who seemed already to be fully 'free range'. All of them swung easily from trees, ropes and other items on a big island in the middle of a lake.

rashbre

Darv said...

Michele sent me... Nice pics. I'll have to visit again.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I didn't know that Gorillas are vegetarian! You learn something new every day!

Here from Michele's!

Paste said...

Great pictures, popped by from Michele's.

Anna said...

That is too cute....the big, scary gorilla in the whimsical daisies. Great shot!