Let's Move!

When Olympia Gorilla moves at the North Carolina Zoo, she really goes

The Drama Mama was steamrolling over the rocks towards the little waterfall at the Forest Glade area of the North Carolina Zoo.  Son Apollo seems to be very trusting of her ability to hold him tightly and keep him safe as she motors from place to place. He's doing his part too, though. He is gripping that huge furry arm of hers with all his might. 

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Soon after I captured this scene, Olympia settled down in the bamboo to munch on some goodies. Apollo crawled a few steps away to play with Bomassa.  When he goes to play, Olympia pretty much just lets him be, even though the boys are getting a little rough with each other. She seems content to turn her back on the two youngsters and let Jamani be the peacekeeper and the disciplinarian.

Gorilla Aunties and their Mischief

I got to see a gorilla baby theft

in action at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Mother Bana was lounging high up in the hammock with daughter Patty. Another gorilla stole up and grabbed little Patty, only six months old at the time. Off ran this interloping gorilla auntie, with Bana in hot pursuit, holding onto baby Patty with all her might. I do not know the Chicago gorillas well enough to know which aunt this was, but Bana chased her all the way down the tree, across the enclosure, and up a climbing structure. Mother Gorilla Bana confronted that auntie and took her baby back and all was well.  Gorilla enthusiasts will often use the term auntie to refer to a lady gorilla who has no baby of her own, even though that adult gorilla may not actually be a sister of the mother in question. Often these lady gorillas are very doting and sweet in their relations with the babies in the troop. But not always. Sometimes a gorilla lady who is a mother of her own child,  gets a little meddlesome!

Left to Right: Jamani, Bomassa, Olympia, Apollo

Recently, I photographed Olympia grabbing the arm of Jamani's son Bomassa. This happens all the time. Olympia keeps trying to part mother and son. Long time readers of this blog will recall some fifty posts back where Olympia took and kept Bomassa for nearly a week. He was very small then. But now he is bigger, stronger and a little more rambunctious. And he bites! One wonders what Olympia is thinking at this point as she continues to grab Bomassa away. These boys are getting too big to keep under wraps. What would Olympia do, were she able to grab Jamani's son away once again?

A big thank you to all our readers who took advantage of our Mother's Day special and ordered prints of Bomassa, Apollo and their troop. Watch this space for future discount codes.

How to Get a Great Zoo Photograph

Mother Gorilla Reaches Out a Helping Hand

Part One:  Be there

Yes, that's the simple trick to a good zoo photograph. No magic.  You just have to be there.  Go often. Stay for hours. If you are at the zoo for just one day and are roaming from one area to the next and staying at each spot for ten minutes, there is little chance you will see something like this, let alone photograph it. Jamani Gorilla is with her son Bomassa constantly.  She is always attentive to his needs, and she watches continuously, but intervenes less frequently.  At nine months old, Bomassa is a terrific climber, but he's not quite ready to climb a rock like this one. There's really nothing for him to grab onto.  Jamani is big enough that she simply steps on! But her beloved boy  is still tiny and short. So he tries and fails for a good fifteen minutes, and Jamani just sits there watching.  Eventually she reaches out that powerful and loving hand, and that's when I snapped the shot.  Then she lifts him and sets him down next to her. That was a nice shot too. But again, how would I ever have seen these sweet moments,  had I not been there, patiently watching?

Click to enlarge

So the next time you go to the zoo, hang out!  When you see animals you are particularly interested in, send the rest of your party on their way and tell them to come back in an hour. Just stand there and watch and wait.  Gorillas,  in particular,  move like glaciers. They are quiet for long periods. They huddle. They sleep. They sit.  But eventually they get up and change position. And if you are there for awhile, maybe you will see that majestic silverback walk out into the light and turn his face to you just so. That's when you get your shot!

Other animals may be more active.  Soak them in. Watch what they do. Notice which areas they go to again and again. Maybe you will see red pandas scurrying around and making their circuits on a network of branches. Keep watching, learn their patterns. Choose a pretty area they like to go to and point your camera right there. Frame up. Get ready to snap the next time they run over there.  If you are willing to wait long enough, you will get your chance. Now you have that beautiful animal, in an attractive area right where you want him.  Gorgeous animal. Well chosen background. You are well on your way to making a very nice picture of one of your favorite animals.  More zoo photography tips in later issues.  Follow us right here at ZooBabyBlog so you won't miss anything.

Cute Furry Baby Primates at Play

Gorillas learn by playing

Jamani, left, and Olympia stand guard as their babies play

Bomassa and baby brother Apollo are great friends now, playing with each other every chance they get.  Typical boys,  much of their play takes on the appearance of mock fighting.  When they get older, they are going to need to know how to defend themselves and this is how they learn. When they start horsing around you can get a look at their mouths full of teeth. Those chops open wide as they chomp down on the nearest arm or  leg.  

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Moms Olympia and Jamani stay close by. Olympia is a little more non-chalant, while Jamani seems to be the peace keeper. It is usually Jamani's large strong hand which reaches in to stop the fighting when she's seen enough.  She often cradles Apollo's head and tries to redirect his attention, without breaking the boys up. But other times she'll grab hold of Bomassa's arm and  pick him up and take him away. She won't be able to do that forever. These boys are growing fast!  When are you heading out to the North Carolina Zoo to see these delightful creatures for yourself?

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Apollo Gorilla is a Great Ape

I got a kick out of finding a gorilla fan over at Instagram who uses the hashtag #StopCallingUsMonkeys.
Gorillas are not monkeys!  Children visiting our gorillas at the North Carolina Zoo often wrongly call them monkeys, and so do their parents.   Generally speaking monkeys have tails. Gorillas don't have that, and nor do Chimpanzees or Orangutans. These are all apes, and great apes at that.  Monkeys would include animals such as baboons, tamarins, snow monkeys and others. Another feature of an ape is the nose, which is short and broad and not at all snoutlike.  Apollo's nose is a good illustration of this.  Here he is at eight months old, growing up, getting bigger, venturing away from his mom for short periods and looking good!

Sailor's Grip

How to hold your baby

We have so much to learn from gorillas. Maybe that's why I like watching them so much. I have never once seen Jamani pick her child up by the hand. We humans do that all the time, but maybe that's not so smart.  Jamani lifts Bomassa many times a day to put him on her back so she can move with him to wherever she needs to go next. But does she reach for his hand? Not on your life. No, she always grabs the entire forearm.

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This is so much less risky.  Were she to hold only his hand while lifting, his body weight would drag him down at the same time as she's pulling the hand up. This could result in dislocation of the wrist.  Bad idea.   But she always knows to grab a good portion of his arm as she hoists him up over her shoulder so that he can latch onto her back. This is pretty close to what is known as the Sailor's Grip.  People who work on boats learn that when they need to grasp each other for safety, or to pull one another up on deck, they are better off grasping forearms rather than just holding hands. It's a much more stable hold.

Jamani lifts Bomassa

Acacia Gorilla is Getting Big

Gorilla gestation lasts eight and a half months

Using that information,  and a pregnancy test conducted awhile back, NC Zookeepers have a pretty good guess on a due date for our precious Acacia. They gave her a physical last week, including sonogram. Result:  confirmation that July looks promising.    But look at that huge belly already!  Gorillas have a bit of a gut naturally. Their intestines  are extra long.  All that extra tubing allows them to extract nutrition from the tough stuff they are always munching on, including tree bark, tough leaves,  and other fibrous substances.  Those intestines don't exactly  fit into a nice flat belly,  so even a very fit lady gorilla sports a bulge. In pregnancy, this effect is even more pronounced. 

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Fingers crossed. Born January 14, 1995, Acacia is 18 years old and this will be her first baby.  For a first time mom, delivery can be a rough experience, not always successful.  Assuming all works out, what do you think we'll have? Another half-brother for Apollo and Bomassa? Or will we get a little girl gorilla this time?