Gorilla Breeding Program Moves Two Youngsters to N.C. Zoo and Silverback Ramar to Chicago's Brookfield
ASHEBORO -- A national breeding program for the endangered African
Lowland gorilla has decided to send two young male gorillas to the North Carolina Zoological Park while transferring the N.C. Zoo's oldest male gorilla to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
The Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative program of the
American Zoo & Aquarium Association (AZA) aimed at improving the captive care and breeding of gorillas and other endangered animals, this week approved the transfer of Curtis, age 4, and Charlie, age 2, from the Buffalo (NY) Zoo to the N.C. Zoo. At the same time, Ramar, 30, will be moved from North Carolina to Brookfield where he will be placed with six female gorillas. Brookfield's adult male gorilla died in August.
Curtis and Charlie will be arriving at the N.C. Zoo on Monday via
truck, accompanied by a N.C. Zoo keeper who traveled to New York to assist in the transfer. Once in Asheboro, the two young gorillas will be placed in quarantine for a minimum of 30 days before going on exhibit, a requirement for any new animal coming into the zoo's collection. Their youth and boundless energy are expected to be a benefit to North Carolina's adult gorillas, while the youngsters, who were hand-reared at Buffalo, gain much-needed social skills from their older peers.
Meanwhile, the N.C. Zoo's oldest male gorilla or "silverback,"
Ramar, will be moving to Brookfield Zoo in late October as the Gorilla SSP attempts to place an animal considered to be extremely important to the gene pool of the captive gorilla population in a better breeding situation. Ramar is currently exhibited with Katie, 25, a female that is not capable of reproducing.
Ramar is one of the most well-known animals at the N.C. Zoo and the only gorilla owned by the park. The four other gorillas currently in the N.C. Zoo's collection are all on breeding loan from other institutions under the auspices of the Gorilla SSP.
Born in Africa, Ramar was acquired by the N.C. Zoo in July 1974
from a private owner who used the animal in a traveling nightclub act. He was initially exhibited in the old Interim Zoo, the N.C. Zoo's first public exhibit area, from 1974 to 1978. During that period he once starred in a national television ad for American Tourister luggage. While construction of the zoo's first permanent gorilla facilities was under way, Ramar was transferred in 1978, first to the Philadelphia Zoo and later to the Miami Metrozoo. He returned to North Carolina in summer 1984 prior to the grand opening of the zoo's African Pavilion gorilla habitat.
Dan Wharton is Director of the Central Park Wildlife Center in New
York City and also is head of the AZA's Gorilla SSP. Wharton said the SSP considers Ramar a "potential founder," meaning he does not currently have offspring in the North American captive population of about 350 gorillas, but his genes are considered extremely important to the future of the species.
"Ramar is one of the few remaining potential founders that has not
been in a social group (of gorillas) with excellent breeding potential, i.e. consisting of a number of young, fertile females that have produced offspring before, " Wharton explained. "On the plus side for Brookfield, their gorilla collection has been shown to benefit from having an older male as part of its social group. This will be a good social group for Ramar and he can be expected to add a positive dynamic to the group which consists of mixed sexes and ages."
Lorraine Smith, the N.C. Zoo's Curator of Mammals, has worked for months with the Gorilla SSP and the other institutions involved on the arrangements for the gorilla moves.
"Ramar will be greatly missed by the entire Zoo staff, especially
the keepers who have taken care of him for so many years,'" Smith said . "But we all understand that this move is in the best interest of both Ramar and the entire captive gorilla population. Transferring an animal of Ramar's notoriety is just an example of how strongly our zoo is committed to saving the species."
The zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
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Note to editors: There will be no photo opportunities of the two young gorillas arriving at the zoo on Monday. Video taken at the Buffalo Zoo this week is available and still photos will be provided as soon as possible.
Contact Person: Rod Hackney, 336-879-7204
Date Posted: 10/02/98
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