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Ndume Photos |
Videos
To
further the strategy of increasing gorilla populations through
captive breeding, a male lowland gorilla, Ndume, joined The
Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org in 1991. Born in 1981 and already
a father of three, 400-pound Ndume is Koko's intended mate.
Ndume is also providing the opportunity for us to discover methods
of dealing with aberrant behaviors. This information will benefit
all captive gorillas. Koko
selected Ndume from a number of available males (via "video
dating"— see the Videos section below) and though
they have been getting along extremely well, there has been
no mating behavior to date. There are three likely reasons for
this: i) a natural gorilla group has multiple females for each
male, ii) the two need more private space and time, and iii)
Koko has never lived with another female and so has not witnessed
mating behavior in person. The Gorilla Foundation is working
to overcome these hurdles while Koko's biological clock still
permits (possibly into her early 40's).
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| Ndume's Profile: |
Full
Name: |
Ndume |
Translation: |
"Male"
(Swahili) |
Hair
Color: |
Black
with silvering back |
Eye
Color: |
Warm
Brown |
Height: |
Approximately
6'0" |
Weight: |
400
pounds |
Birthdate: |
October
10, 1981 |
Place
of Birth: |
Cincinnati,
OH |
Vocabulary: |
Uses
natural gorilla gestures and vocalizations |
Favorite
Color: |
Blue |
Favorite
Foods: |
Peanuts,
carrots, apples, potatoes, celery |
Favorite
Shows: |
"Wild
Kingdom" |
Favorite
Movie: |
"Alladin" |
Favorite
Toy: |
Blue
50 gallon plastic barrel, phone books, cardboard boxes |
Favorite
Activities: |
Eating,
sleeping in the sun, playing chase |
Family
Members: |
Many
relatives and three offspring in zoos around the U.S. |
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about Koko, Ndume, Interspecies communication,gorillas
conservation, education and what
it's like to
"talk with the animals." |
Please help Koko save her species
and achieve conservation through communication. |
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