AssetID: 52919357
Headline: Bachelor Party! Gang Of Male Gorillas Move To Cincinnati Zoo
Caption: **RAW VIDEO** The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has a new gang of gorillas in town, as a troop of three bachelor males have moved to the zoo. Chipua (Chip), Pendeka (Pende) and Kongo arrived at the Cincinnati Zoo from the Detroit Zoo earlier in July. “We are excited to house this bachelor troop, as it is the first time the Cincinnati Zoo has housed this type of troop structure in its long history of caring for gorillas!” said Victoria McGee, Zoological Manager of Primates. “We look forward to sharing this experience with our Zoo members and guests.” Bachelor troops serve an important purpose, existing in native habitat regions throughout Central Africa and other AZA facilities. Compared to family troops, bachelors have different social dynamics. Aggression is an important behavior in these troops; sometimes this looks like displacement between two individuals, vocal conflict, or a physical altercation. While these events may look concerning to people, they serve an important purpose in gorilla society. Aggression helps to establish and maintain a hierarchy, teaching all the gorillas in the troop how to appropriately interact with each other and navigate their dynamic social structure. There are about 765 gorillas in zoos worldwide, including approximately 360 that are managed by the Gorilla SSP. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild, with fewer than 175,000 individuals. The Cincinnati Zoo supports wild gorilla conservation efforts like the Nouabalé-Ndoki Project in the Republic of Congo. This project includes the Mbeli Bai Study, the longest running research being done with wild western lowland gorillas. Through research, local education programs, publications and documentaries, the Mbeli Bai Study and other gorilla related efforts there are raising international awareness for gorillas and their struggle for survival.
Keywords: gorilla,zoo,animals,nature,feature,photo,video,males,bachelor
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