Letter to the Editor: Story on death of gorilla Ya Kwanza was flippant and poorly researched

It stated that Jersey Zoo had, in 2011 sent Ya Kwanza to a ‘controversial zoo’, which was certainly not the case.

Sadly, it was due to his lack of breeding that the Gorilla EEP (European Endangered Species Programme) recommended that Ya Kwanza be moved, first to La Vallée des Singes in France. On 20 July, a few months before my retirement, I along with several other staff accompanied him. Once settled there his introduction to four young males began. This quickly proved successful and a new bachelor group was formed.

All-male groups occur naturally in the wild, and since 1988 many have been established in zoos around the world. Bachelor groups provide essential social environments for ‘surplus and often previously isolated males’, some of whom are later reintroduced into potential breeding situations.

Three Jersey-born males, namely Rafiki, Asato and Mapema, spent time in bachelor units before eventually being relocated to head their own breeding groups.

In February 2012, and in keeping with Gorilla EEP recommendation, Ya Kwanza’s group was transferred to a new purpose-built and very spacious complex specifically designed for managing all-male groups at Zoo d’Amnéville. The group proved a huge attraction, and for the best part of five years Ya Kwanza remained dominant. However, earlier this year, the second-ranking male, 14-year-old Lengai, began to challenge his supremacy, and during a fight inflicted a serious bite injury to Ya Kwanza’s groin area. Subsequently Ya Kwanza was anaesthetised for urgently required surgery and tragically it was towards the end of this procedure that he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Every effort to save him was made, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation being maintained for approximately two hours. ‘Yukky’, as he was known to us, had passed away at the age of 33. Powerful and majestic, he was a great and loveable character who will be greatly missed by his keepers in Jersey, France and Australia, where he was born.

In April 2015, Zoo d’Amnéville unfortunately decided to open ‘Tiger World’, basically a distasteful act complete with a trainer designed purely to increase attendance. EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) rightly opposed this spectacle on animal-welfare grounds and have since terminated Zoo d’Amnéville’s membership, the repercussions of which may well include the relocation of a number of species including gorillas and orang-utans.

In ending, I should point out that the photograph selected to accompany last week’s article, ‘RIP Ya Kwanza’, was in fact of 38-year-old Kishka, a female, and Jersey Zoo’s oldest gorilla.

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