Bomassa's Big Belly

Bomassa loves to eat, and it shows! I am told that he is the easier brother to train. When the gorillas are learning their routines, they get treats in return. For example the keepers might need for Bomassa to turn his ear towards them, which would be useful, for example,  if they need to check for  infection. If he turns the ear,  he gets a bite of kiwi, one of his favorites. Apollo gets the same opportunity, but is less interested in food, so he is not making quite so much progress with his training.

Keeping Tabs on Apollo

Jamani had been resting under the overhang, keeping warm in the straw as she often does after lunch. Apollo showed up as she was cuddling with Bomassa. If you've been following these pages, you can guess why. He wanted to do a little wrestling with his big brother! And Bomassa is always game for that.  So the boys started baring their teeth, and biting on each other and raising their arms to each other and so on and so forth.

Jamani will tolerate a little bit of that, but she has her limit. It must be kind of annoying when you are just trying to take a nap and the little boys just want to cause a big ruckus. Eventually, she calms things down, normally by restraining Apollo. You can see her putting her arm on his leg here. In a very gentle way, she's looking him right in the eyes, and letting Apollo know that it's time to leave his big brother alone for a little while.

Hands Off Approach to Mothering

Olympia Gorilla does not go in much for discipline.  Here we see her in her typical nonchalant pose.  She is sitting by herself, while her son Apollo has wandered away. He's visiting Jamani and Bomassa and he's ready to cause a little trouble.  She looks up to see what's happening, but that's about all she's likely to do.

Look at Apollo reaching his arm up to Bomassa as his mother looks on.  He's going to get into it! Jamani will be stepping in momentarily if things start to get out of hand, but Olympia will keep her distance. She is not worried about those half-brothers getting a few scratches and scrapes.  I have never seen her intervene.

The Eyes of Bomassa

Bomassa Gorilla has the most mesmerizing eyes.

Gorillas at the Top

What do Baby Gorillas Want

when they climb up high?  Apollo seems to like to climb up to the very top of the structure just for fun. Certainly it's wonderful for him, and helps him build strength and agility. But then when he gets up there, he does like to find his mom and hang out with her for awhile. He's a very social little guy.

Granted, it might take a minute or two for mother gorilla and her baby to get comfortable.

And then when it's all over, Olympia usually helps her little son get down safely. 

Awe-Inspiring Gorilla Climbing Skills

Baby Like a Rocket

Apollo is not even two years old yet, but he shoots up the climbing tree in no time flat. Just a few months ago, he would proceed tentatively, but now he is sure of his every move and moves fast. Sometimes when I watch him climb, I just stand there and gasp.

This past Monday he used those capable hands and feet of his to get right up to the top in just a few minutes. He does not need any help at all from his mom, but sometimes, he does like to go and find Olympia,  and climb on her too.

Bomassa Enjoys the Day

The baby gorillas at the North Carolina Zoo are still doing great and they are such a joy to see.  Here's a look at Bomassa taking a break this past Wednesday on a beautiful day. Suddenly he stretches his torso up, throws back his head and gazes at the sky. He'd been munching all morning on a big head of lettuce, some half peppers, and a huge stalk of celery.