Compare how the wild vs captive environment by https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70 By Rachael and Amanda en-us 2018-10-16 14:10:09 UTC 2026-02-20 18:41:45 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padletuploads.blob.core.windows.net/prod/91810442/4eab4ab0d7f4cb776574703dd4e24fd6/giraffe_icon.svg SPACE IN THE WILD u10422280 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293349293 The wild environment is spacious and thick dense vegetation for the Gorillas. 
This means that they can display normal behaviours and interact properly with each other.]]> 2018-10-16 14:10:09 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293349293 NORMAL BEHAVIOURS u10422280 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293349294 They play and forage to eat, they groom each other and a silverback shows other gorillas dominance. 
The youngsters also play chuckle as a sign of enjoyment and to interact with other gorillas.. 
Gorillas can warn others off food that they have their eye on, using a pig like grunt, telling other gorillas to back off.
A belch vocalisation is a contact call and other gorilla's know they're not a threat to the group.
If a person is to come in to contact with a gorilla then you have to keep low, don't stand up right, fold your arms and look away from them and glance out of the corner of your eye to show you're not being threatening or aggressive. Make sure to announce your presence so that you don't startle them. You do this by using gorilla vocalisations.

If a gorilla is charging towards you screaming and baring its teeth, this means that the gorilla is angry and frightened and that they think you're a danger to them. They will try and scare you away. This is an intimidation display. ]]> 2018-10-16 14:10:09 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293349294 SPACE IN CAPTIVITY u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293389651 In captivity the gorillas don't have as much space as they do in the wild where they would roam around their own territories. This could possibly cause problems within a group of gorillas. If two get into a fight and the submissive gorilla can't escape from the more dominant gorilla this could cause serious injuries and bullying.]]> 2018-10-16 14:58:32 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293389651 u10422280 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293393059 2018-10-16 15:02:44 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293393059 GORILLA DIET u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293396744 Many captive gorillas, are obese because they consume more food. Some subspecies have adapted to other kinds of food in captivity. It is believed that mountain gorillas, cannot be successfully maintained in captivity because their specific feeding, based almost exclusively on foliage. Attempts in recent years have ended in sick or dead gorillas. 41 percent of deaths of captive gorillas are the result of a heart disease.

Successful diets fed to captive gorillas may consist of the following items: 7% fruit, 57% leafy green vegetables, 4% root vegetables, 17% other vegetables and 15% high-fiber primate biscuits. The fruit portion of the diet may be reserved for training purposes. Since fruit and primate biscuits are the most calorie dense items, feeding them to animals individually will help control caloric intake, especially for overweight individuals. Some zoos with obese animals may consider completely eliminating fruit from the diet of gorillas. Although current diets may contain fruit and vegetable produce equaling about 50% of total food offered, it is suggested that the proportion of fruit in diets be reduced, and vegetable produce increased. Vegetables appear to contain a more suitable nutrient composition than fruits for lowland gorillas, 

Substrate provides foraging opportunities in indoor exhibits.]]> 2018-10-16 15:07:37 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293396744 ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR u10422280 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293396808 An abnormal behaviour would be if a gorilla is on his or her own because they are always in a pack unless they are a dominant male. 

Self Mutilation is another abnormal behaviour because this means that they are stressed and showing anxiety. 
This could be because they can't find a mate, or there is a lack of food.

Regurgitation is an abnormal behaviour because this also means that it is stress related.]]> 2018-10-16 15:07:42 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293396808 ABNORMAL BEHAVIORS u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293404072 Dominant silver back gorillas in captivity show more aggression towards the rest of the group and have more aggressive displays when there are large crowds of people looking into the enclosure. 

Teeth grinding has been documented in dominant silver back gorillas where there was more than one family group that spent the night in the same building where they had permanent visual and vocal contact. They could also smell each other. So this resulted in the dominant gorilla getting stressed and grinding it's teeth.

There are cases where there have been two silver back gorillas in one captive family group this resulted in  both silver backs avoiding each other and spending most of their time on opposite ends of the enclosure which is not normal because in the wild silver back males have their own territory to protect.  

The male silver backs have also been observed frequently watching visitors. And displaying more than usual in certain types of enclosure.

]]> 2018-10-16 15:17:14 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293404072 GORILLA BREEDING u10422280 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293745024 Female gorillas become sexually mature at 10-12 years old, while males are 11-13 years old. Females can have their first ovulatory cycle even during their sixth year of life, but they do not start breeding until ten years old or older. A surprising fact is that after their first cycle, they are unable to procreate an infant for two years afterwards.

]]> 2018-10-17 09:34:12 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/293745024 u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/294114096 2018-10-17 21:41:03 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/294114096 NORMAL BEHAVIORS u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/294117224 There have been zoos that have swapped the dominant male in a family group which resulted in the new male attacking the offspring of the previous male. And also killing one infant. This is behavior that would normally happen in the wild. 

Gorillas are encouraged to forage within their outdoor enclosure as they would in the wild. By keepers putting food in different areas.

Captive gorillas still vocalize, groom other members of the group and initiate play ]]> 2018-10-17 21:57:30 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/294117224 BREEDING u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295000825 There have been cases where the males have been frequently aggressive towards the female gorillas. This is due to the female and male not being compatible. Sometimes the breeding pair had hardly any contact.

Female gorillas have also had problems reproducing as well if they where kept in an enclosure made of metal bars compared to an enclosure made from glass. 

In captivity, males are not competing with each other for breeding rights and females aren't weighing up the talent and choosing the male they like best. They are presented with a male and expected to breed with them. ]]> 2018-10-19 20:01:40 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295000825 IN CAPTIVITY u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295017718 Zoo-bound gorillas are known to eat their faeces and regurgitate food. In the 1980s, about 65 percent of zookeepers reported that their gorillas regurgitated and re-ingested their food. This could be a response to boredom, diet, stress, space restriction, or lack of control in the captive environment. ]]> 2018-10-19 21:36:58 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295017718 u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295017873 Research has also found zoo gorillas act differently when there are lots of people visiting their exhibit. One 2005 study of the gorillas in a zoo in Ireland found that, on summer weekends — when an average of 1,300 people visited the zoo per day — the apes were more likely to groom themselves, to be aggressive toward one another, and to clench their teeth repetitively and rock back and forth. On winter weekdays, when 10 or fewer people would visit daily, they spent significantly more time resting. A 2011 study of another zoo’s gorillas found that, when it was busier and noisier in their enclosure, the apes were more likely to stare, posture, and charge at people.]]> 2018-10-19 21:38:08 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295017873 u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295018054 A study found that privacy screens significantly cut down on gorillas posturing and charging at zoo-goers. More recently, researchers have looked at whether training gorillas to perform simple tasks, such as showing a zookeeper their shoulder or tongue, might help. The idea is that such training might be interesting and enriching for the gorillas. Small studies have been promising.]]> 2018-10-19 21:39:38 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/295018054 NATURAL HABITAT IN THE WILD u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296118423 2018-10-23 18:08:52 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296118423 CAPTIVE ENVIRONMENT u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296124154 2018-10-23 18:18:11 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296124154 ZOO KEEPER TRAINING GORILLA u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296125458 2018-10-23 18:20:19 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296125458 GORILLA FORAGING THROUGH SUBSTRATE u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296135273 2018-10-23 18:35:41 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296135273 SILVER BACK GORILLA SHOWING AGGRESSION u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296139974 2018-10-23 18:43:17 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296139974 GORILLA CHARGING AT PEOPLE IN A ZOO u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296145995 2018-10-23 18:54:04 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296145995 MALE GORILLA BEING AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS A FEMALE GORILLA u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296153040 2018-10-23 19:07:15 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296153040 GORILLAS WITH ENRICHMENT u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296159038 In the wild, gorillas like to get wet sometimes in lakes or lagoons they find on their habitats. This is the reason zoo enclosures should have either waterfalls, lakes or lagoons. Or if space is a problem the zoo could convert a wash tub into a mini lake.

Artificial termite mound: this is a typical enrichment used for great apes in general. It consists of an artificial structure imitating a termite mound with some narrow holes. Inside it, the keeper can put porridge, compote of fruits or honey. The gorillas should provided with sticks, which they will push into the holes to get a tasty treat.

Using cardboard boxes with holes in. There will be food hidden Inside either fruit, bamboo or even vegetables. They can also seal the boxes. The gorillas will try to break them or use the holes to take out the food.
 
Food hoses. Fire hoses stuffed with food and capped with hard fruit on both sides. You can use any kind of fruits, porridge or vegetables. Honey can be used to but only in small amounts to give the hoses a nice smell and get the gorillas interested in them.

A hammock is either made of rope, fabric or fire hoses. This provides the gorillas with somewhere high to rest just as they would if they where in the wild.

Most of these enrichments are to provide the gorillas with mental stimulation and to help with minimising stress due to being in a captive environment

]]> 2018-10-23 19:18:44 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296159038 GORILLAS WITH ENRICHMENT u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296177531 2018-10-23 20:00:31 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296177531 u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296178153 2018-10-23 20:02:14 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296178153 u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296178527 2018-10-23 20:03:23 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296178527 IN THE WILD VS. u10426793 https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296179916 The average gorilla in captivity lives from 40 years to more than 50 years. The average gorilla lives 35-45 years in the wild. Due to illegal hunting, chopping trees down to build homes, the number of gorillas are decreasing. Like most animals, Gorillas live much longer in captivity. 
Life span HABITAT In the wild, Gorillas live in Africa. Gorilla's lives in countries such as Cameroon, Congo, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda. They can also live in bamboo forests, swamps, forests, lowland forests, and forests in the mountains.
Gorilla's are best in large open spaces, so this is a positive in the wild, compared to what it can be like in captivity.]]> 2018-10-23 20:07:19 UTC https://padlet.com/u10422280/x4iy0rcynb70/wish/296179916