Gorilla goes viral making a splash
GORILLAS, like people, tend to outgrow much of their youthful exuberance as they age.
Play fighting, pranks and silliness are usually on the decline by the time the animals reach young adulthood, experts say. A notable exception: Zola, a 172kg Silverback gorilla living at the Dallas Zoo.
Unlike the other four males that Zola lives with, the 14-year-old has a special relationship with water in particular. His handlers say he loves nothing more than rain puddles, moats and, as a new viral video reveals, giant kiddie pools filled with a water (gorillas can’t swim by the way).
“We’ve always known he likes water, but we weren’t expecting the full washing machine-style spin that we caught on camera,” the Dallas Zoo’s mammal curator, Keith Zdrojewski, said.
Tara Stoinski, president and chief executive officer, and chief scientific officer of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, said “Gorillas often like to play in water, or even use as a mirror to look at themselves.
“The Dallas Zoo animal care staff have given Zola a great source of entertainment and he is having a wonderful time showing the very silly side of gorillas.” Ian Redmond, a renowned conservationist and the founder of the Ape Alliance, agreed that Zola was express- ing “exuberant play” with elements of “adult display”.
This isn’t Zola’s first time going viral. Back in 2011, at Canada’s Calgary Zoo, a significantly smaller Zola was filmed thoroughly enjoying a wet concrete floor, as well as spinning. Video of the routine amassed nearly 4 million views on YouTube. Zola was moved to the Dallas Zoo in 2013, his keepers said.
The question now for Zola’s keepers is how long he’ll keep up his youthful antics. “He’ll either be a goof ball his entire life, or at some point he’ll stop, maybe when he becomes a father,” Zdrojewski said.
“Gorillas all have individual behaviours and personalities. Some are silly and some are authoritarian. We really don’t know how he’ll grow and change.” – Washington Post