London females go ape for Kesho?

A TALL, dark, hairy Irish male is being shipped to Britain in order to console three bereaved females at London Zoo.

Kesho, a Dublin-based 10-year-old “black-back” gorilla, was chosen to provide solace to female gorillas, Zaire, Effie and Mjukuu after their previous mate, Yeboah, a 20-stone silverback, died suddenly.

He had just conceived a baby with Mjukuu, the youngest gorilla, before his death. After taking advice, the zoo decided to get a replacement in order to bring balance and stability to the group.

Now, zookeepers are moving swiftly to make use of a small window of time to introduce Dublin Zoo’s Kesho to the girls. He will arrive before the end of the month, giving him two months to settle in before Mjukuu gives birth.

The decision came following a gorilla husbandry “audit”, after which experts decided there was no great danger in introducing a new male to the group.

Kesho was chosen to be young enough to mix in easily with the group but mature enough to provide leadership.

Jan Vermeer of the Gorilla European Endangered Species Programme species committee said Kesho could potentially become a new leader who would improve the cohesion between the animals.

“Such a new male will hopefully also sire offspring, which is not only good for the captive population but especially for the wellbeing of the females. There is no better enrichment of their life than caring of a baby or experiencing the growing up of other females’ offspring,” he said.

Keepers from Dublin will accompany Kesho to London to make sure he settles in and he will be monitored 24 hours a day.

David Field, zoological director of London Zoo, warned, however, the introduction of a new male into an environment with an expectant mother could be “precarious”.

“It carries significant risk for the death of the infant when it’s born later this year,” he said.

“But we believe we are making the right decisions based on the expert opinions we have received.”