Gorilla kingdom
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Gorilla Kingdom is a flagship 6000m2 exhibit for the Zoological Society of Londons' ZSL London Zoo. It is a multi-million pound development that took 18 months to build, was launched by HRH Duke of Edinburgh on March 29 and opened to the public on March 30 2007.
It replaces old monkey enclosures with a giant moated island and indoor gym that is home to a group of western lowland gorillas. The area also holds black and white colobus. There are currently three gorillas in the enclosure: Bobby, a 23-year-old male; Zaire, a 33-year-old female, and Effie, a 14-year-old female. They share the island with four colobus monkeys.
The exhibit was inspired by a conservation project that is managed by ZSL in Gabon. It has been planted with plants and herbs that the gorillas can eat while the island itself represents a natural forest clearing in Central African rainforest.
A visitor to the exhibit will learn about the plight of western lowland gorillas in the wild and conservation of rainforests, while being separated from the animals on the island by either a moat or a floor to ceiling window.
