ZSL London Zoo hit by second male gorilla death

Published: 8 April 2010
by NATALIE PECK

THREE female gorillas have been widowed for the second time in two years after the death of their latest mate at London Zoo.

Animal charities have now called on the Regent’s Park zoo to open up the files on Yeboah, a 12-year-old gorilla whose death was announced on Thursday.

It comes just two years after the death of heart attack victim Bongo Junior, a giant silverback known as Bobby, who had been one of the zoo’s most popular animals and the poster-boy for the £5million Gorilla Kingdom enclosure. The zoo is eager for a breeding programme to be part of the return on that investment. 

It had been hoped the arrival of Yeboah from La Boissier du Dore zoo in western France would kickstart mating, which stalled with Bobby’s sudden death. 

By chance, the New Journal photographed Bobby, who was 25, just a day before he passed away. The zoo’s annual report said later: “Bobby suffered from periods of ill health through the year, symptoms of which included passing blood through his urine. He underwent a general anaesthetic to assess his heart and dentition, however abnormalities were not detected and his prostate seemed clear. Unfortunately, following another episode, Bobby died overnight.”

Female gorillas, Mjukuu, 11, Effie, 17, and Zaire, 35, are being monitored closely while they adjust to their second loss in two years. It was rumoured yesterday (Wednesday) that one of the females could be pregnant. When Bobby died, they were given time to spend alone with his body so they could fully comprehend what had happened. A similar grieving period is likely this time.

Yeboah died on March 25 after concerned keepers had noticed he was “under the weather” and placed him under observation as his condition worsened. Post mortem results have not yet been made available.

The average lifespan of a West Lowland gorilla in the wild is 35 years. 

Jillian Miller, executive director of the Gorilla Organisation, said: “Gorillas in captivity are generally more stressed and sometimes conditions in the zoo can cause this. We would need to see the vet’s reports to know what really happened.”

Craig Redmond, campaigns director at the Captive Animals’ Protection Society, said: “The zoo needs to make the post-mortem and veterinary records open to the public to ensure there are no ongoing concerns about how they are being kept.”

Yeboah was born in Hannover Zoo in Germany and lived there until the age of six when he was transferred to France. He made national headlines during his transfer to London, lauded as a “French Lothario” who would have three potential mates to choose from. 

London Zoo zoological director David Field said: “We have worked so hard to establish a strong breeding group that this setback is a real blow to everyone.

“The keepers and vets worked tirelessly in their efforts to save him and could not have done more.”