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Badongo arrives safely

28^th July 2011

Last week, following advice from the Gorilla European Endangered Species Programme, Durrell sadly said goodbye to Ya Kwanza, the magnificent silverback male gorilla who has been a popular resident at Durrell Wildlife Park since 1993. Ya Kwanza is settling really well into his temporary accommodation at La Vallee des Singes in France, where he has a huge outside enclosure to enjoy.

Following Ya Kwanza’s departure, Durrell is delighted to welcome Badongo, a new male who now joins the park. Visitors can already meet Badongo who from today is on show in the inside gorilla exhibit. At twelve years of age he is sexually mature, displaying some of the characteristic light grey colouring on his back, buttocks and thighs. Naturally it is hoped that Badongo will breed with Durrell’s existing females. Gorillas are capable of breeding well into their late 40’s.

Joining from La Vallee des Singes in France, where he was born, Bodongo is already settling in well, is calm and content, and staff at Durrell are carefully managing the first stage of his introduction. Badongo will be in the same building as the females, but will not be permitted tactile contact with them for the first week to ten days.

Gorillas are intelligent, highly sensitive creatures and any departure or arrival will invariably have an effect and it can take time for them to adjust. Integration can be a very complex business and one which requires careful management, but once the females have accepted Badongo’s dominant role there is every chance that Durrell will again be breeding this magnificent high profile species.

We are developing an exciting film featuring the story of past, present and future of Durrell’s gorillas so please watch this space for more.

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