As you may or may not know, I've been working with the gorillas at the Brookfield Zoo for the last three weeks. It's been a blast getting to know each one's individual personality and mannerisms. You've got Ramar, the silverback, who won't let me come anywhere near the group without strutting around and beating his chest to show me who's really in charge. Then there are the girls, Binti Jua (the gorilla famous for picking up the kid that fell in some years back) and her daughter Koola, who are the dominant pair in the group.
Binti has another boy, Bakari, and Koola has a daughter herself, Kamba, who are both 3 years old and love to play together. Kamba is actually Bakari's half-sister/ niece (a relation that only makes sense in gorillas and Georgia), and she can often be seen giving her uncle/ brother piggy back rides around the exhibit mountain.
Nadaya is Ramar's oldest boy, and he likes to play chase and wrestle with his half-brother Bakari after an afternoon snack. Bana, Nadaya's aunt, is extremely gentle and likes to hangout with her grandmother Alpha, one of the oldest females in the group. The other oldest would be Beta, who I'm convinced is the cutest, crankiest old gorilla in the world.
Not only is each gorilla unique in the way they act, but I can tell each one apart by the way they look, too. Binti has this characteristic cow-lick at the back of her head, and her kids Koola and Bakari have it too. Kamba is also a lot darker than Bakari, who is more gray all over. Bana is the fuzziest of the group and Nadaya, besides being the only subadult male, has this George Costanza thing going on with his hair, which is especially red. Beta has the most adorable gorilla face I've ever seen, and Alpha has a striking resemblance to David Schwimmer. Maybe it's just me... You decide for yourself.
Yes, I'm thoroughly obsessed with my gorillas. Next time, gorilla vocalizations. With my help, you'll be speaking gorilla (with a hint of a Bavarian accent) in no time. Enjoy!
3 comments:
I am enjoying your blog and would like to hear more about the interactions between the gorillas.
Perhaps a family tree in graphic form would be helpful to the reader in order to better understand the relationship between your primate friends.
Thanks
Why do you always have to pick on Georgia?
david schwimmer looks like an ape. why is it not racist when it's a white guy?
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