A new western lowland gorilla group is beginning to take shape at Pairi Daiza. On 25 August, the Belgian park welcomed Soundi, 10, and Boula, 19, two females that arrived from the United Kingdom.
Their arrival is the first stage in the formation of a new group of four gorillas within the EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP). A male and a third female are expected to join them in the coming months, with the long-term aim of creating a new breeding group.
The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Soundi and Boula arrive from the UK
Soundi was born at Howletts Wild Animal Park on 25 April 2016 and, according to Pairi Daiza, this is her first transfer to another zoological institution.
Boula was also born at Howletts, on 9 April 2007. In 2013, she moved to Port Lympne Reserve, where she lived before her transfer to Belgium.
The two females are currently undergoing the required quarantine and acclimatisation period and are therefore not yet visible to visitors. Their introduction to their new environment will take place gradually, according to their individual progress.
One of Pairi Daiza’s gorilla habitats has been renovated
Their arrival follows extensive work on one of the park’s two gorilla “volcanoes”, which has been refurbished in preparation for the new group.
According to Pairi Daiza, the habitat has been improved with new substrate, additional vegetation and misting systems, as well as new walkways, elevated structures and enrichment opportunities. The camera system used to monitor the animals has also been upgraded.
The changes are designed to provide a more complex environment and give the gorillas greater opportunities to climb, explore and choose how to use the different areas available to them.
The park’s two male gorillas, Tebogo and Indigo, will continue to live in the second volcano and are not part of the new breeding group.
Once Soundi and Boula have completed their initial acclimatisation, Pairi Daiza will continue preparing for the arrival of the other two gorillas. The future male and third female will complete a group whose composition has been planned within the European conservation programme, with the prospect of future reproduction.
