- Former keeper devastated by silverback gorillas attack in Melbourne
- Julia, who was 33 years old, suffered extensive trauma following an attack by 13-year-old Otana
- She lived at Durrell between 1990 and 1997
A FORMER head of mammals at Durrell has spoken about his ‘shock and sadness’ after a gorilla which was brought up in Jersey was killed by a silverback in Australia.
Julia, the gorilla who was 33 years old, suffered extensive trauma and significant complications following an attack by 13-year-old Otana, who was introduced to the group at Melbourne Zoo in 2013.
Richard Johnstone-Scott, who worked with primates for 46 years and knew Julia throughout her time at Durrell, described the news of the death as ‘devastating’.
Mr Johnstone-Scott, who is now retired, described the gorilla as ‘gentle and sweet natured’, and said he used to spend hours playing with her in the enclosure at Durrell.
Julia was born in Cameroon in 1981 but was taken out of the country by a Dutch journalist investigating the primate smuggling trade.
Once in the Netherlands, Julia was taken in by Customs and was looked after by the World Wildlife Foundation before being moved to The Gambia, where she lived in an enclosure with chimpanzees.
Mr Johnstone-Scott said there were plans for a gorilla rehabilitation project there but when that did not materialise, it was decided that Julia should be with her own species, so she was transferred to Jersey in 1990.
She was moved to Melbourne Zoo in 1997, along with another female named G’Ann, after Julia was attacked by silverback Ya Kwanza, who broke Julia’s leg, requiring her to have surgery.
Mr Johnstone-Scott said: ‘I went to visit Julia several times in Melbourne and it was working out.
‘She and G’Ann settled in well and both bred successfully with one of the gorillas, which was important because Julia was born in the wild.
‘I do not know the details, but it seems that it was when this new gorilla came in that things changed.
‘They are very complex, and when considering integration we have to take into consideration individual characters and nature of the group members. But this still doesn’t mean they are going to accept one another.
‘She was a lovely animal and anybody who knew her will be upset about this.
‘I imagine G’Ann will be devastated, as they were very close companions and were inseparable for many years.’
A statement issued by Melbourne Zoo said that the result of the aggression Otana displayed towards Julia was ‘unexpected and unprecedented’.
In a statement, Mark Brayshaw, head of animal collection at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: ‘We are obviously upset to hear the sad news about Julia.
‘She is fondly remembered here at Durrell.’
The statement said that the keepers were now concentrating on helping the other gorillas to get over Julia’s death which had devastated the staff, adding that the primate keepers had been offered counselling.
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of our female gorillas, Julia.
Julia died overnight from complications which developed from injuries inflicted by our young Silverback male Otana.
Staff monitoring the group as usual throughout Friday observed Otana displaying an unexpected level of aggression towards Julia.
Silverbacks assert their dominance as a normal part of their behaviour.
In this instance, the results of the aggression Otana displayed towards Julia on Friday were unexpected and unprecedented.
On Friday evening, Julia chose to spend at least part of the night away from the group, sleeping in one of the heated caves outside.
On Saturday morning staff checking on Julia and observed that she appeared to be unwell and was not responding as normal, although no wounds were visible.
After immediate consultation with the Vet team, the decision was made to move Julia to the veterinary hospital for an examination.
The Vet team examining Julia found that she had experienced extensive trauma and significant complications resulting from the aggression on Friday.
The team worked to stabilize her condition into the early hours of Sunday, but unfortunately she passed away at 3am today.
Otana arrived in September 2013 from his birthplace in the U.K., where he had recently reached the age to leave his original family group, led by his Silverback father.
After a gradual process of introductions to the females in the Melbourne Zoo group, the social dynamic appeared to be working well.
However, at age 13, Otana is still an inexperienced group leader.
Prior to Friday, Otana’s displays of aggression have been intermittent and not severe, with females responding with the submissive behaviours that a Silverback expects.
Otana is currently separated from the group.
Keepers are concentrating on helping them all get through this tragic event that will change the social structure of the group.
Julia was 33 years old and came to Melbourne Zoo in 1997 from the Jersey Zoo. She has previously bred with Silverback Motaba, now retired from the breeding program at Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Their offspring the female Jumatano is now at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
Staff throughout the Zoo are devastated and the Primate Keepers have been offered counselling to help them through this difficult time.
