How Animal Kingdom is introducing Bakari to his new family — 3 female gorillas
BAY LAKE, Fla. —
For weeks, they’ve been separated by just inches.
Bakari on one side of a mesh fence, and three females on the other.
Bakari is a 21-year-old silverback gorilla who was introduced into Animal Kingdom a few months ago.
“The one thing I will say is the girls tell us what to do,” said Rachel Daneault, the primate zoological manager at Disney. “It is all about the girls.”
And now, Disney’s animal care team says they’re days from full integration.
“They are sitting at those panels all the time. They’ll get their food. They’ll gather it together. They’ll eat next to each other. They’ll make big nests next to them. They’ll sleep next to each other,” Daneault said. “These are all things we like to see.”
Bakari stepped into public view in late June.
“The first day was very funny because he just didn’t know what he wanted. He was kind of upset when they were there, but if they started to walk away, he would start purring at them, like ‘Oh, come back, come back, come back!’ Daneault said.
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What they’re asking of Bakari is a big job: lead a family – he’s coming straight from a bachelor troop, so they’re taking what they learned from Congo and implementing it here.
“As we say, we’re gorilla-led, and they led us into the unknown,” said Lori Cummins, deputy director of education for Grace Gorillas.
Two years ago, through the Grace Gorilla Conservation Program in the Democratic Republic of Congo — the team watched orphaned rescued females nest along a fence near a wild male — refusing to leave his side.
“At one point, Mapendo, she’s very smart, started taking down tree branches, and she was bringing them over to the fence,” Cummins said. “Basically, what we assumed was in an attempt to break down the fence to get to him. So we knew it was time.”
The integration was immediate, with the youngest giving birth to the male’s baby in May.
But before the barrier comes down at Disney’s Animal Kingdom — one last checkup.
“He was probably under anesthesia for about four to five hours,” said Dr. Geoff, Disney World veterinarian and animal health director. “He was such a good boy because he took his hand injection for anesthesia like a champion.”
Disney says they’re weeks away from removing the final barrier between 400-pound Bakari and the females who weigh in around 200-250 pounds.