Zoo staff left heartbroken as baby gorilla dies
Friday May 13, 2011
BY RICHARD OSLEY
A SEVEN month old baby gorilla known as 'Tiny' has died at London Zoo – the third tragedy to hit the gorilla kingdom enclosure in as many years. The little silverback was injured in a scuffle yesterday (Thursday) as his mother Mjukuu was introduced to London Zoo's new male Western Lowland gorilla, Kesho.
Struggling with a suspect broken arm, Tiny underwent an operation to have it pinned but could not breathe on his own when he came around from the anaesthetic. His heart stopped and attempts to revive him were unsucessful.
Tiny's father, Yeboah, died at the zoo last year. That came after Gorilla Kingdom's original alpha male, Bongo Junior – known as Bobby – died in 2009.
Kesho arrived in 2010 as the zoo perserves with its attempt to breeds the endangered species. Keepers had been patiently waiting for the best time for him to meet Tiny and his mother Mjukuu.
Zoological Director David Field said: “We had progressed the introductions very slowly, waiting until we saw very positive signs they were ready. Mjukuu had begun to interact very confidently with Kesho, choosing to spend time close to him through a partition. Kesho also responded positively towards Mjukuu and the baby. We took our cues from the confidence Mjukuu showed and, although we were nervous, the first introduction between mother, baby and Kesho on Wednesday went very well.”
A second introduction on Thursday morning was described as "more boisterous" as Kesho asserted his dominance. The zoo said that "during a scuffle between the whole group the baby’s arm was seriously injured and keepers suspected it was broken."
Mr Field added: “We operated on the youngster’s arm immediately, but we were worried there could be internal injuries we couldn’t see. As we brought him off the anaesthetic he was unable to breathe by himself and his heart stopped. Every effort was made to resuscitate him, but sadly we could not revive him. We knew this was going to be an extremely difficult situation for the gorillas and their keepers and we’ve always been open about the challenges we would face introducing a new male in such difficult circumstances. Everyone here is utterly devastated. Although we had tried to be prepared for the worst, we are all completely heartbroken by this.”
Keepers returned the baby’s body to Mjukuu so that she could come to terms with his death herself. A post-mortem will be carried out.