Kisane, the mighty silverback, rules the troop at Mogo. Photo: David Rayside Photography.
Zoo keeper Chad Staples’ heart was in his throat as he watched the hulking form of Kisane – a 220 kg silverback – first approach Kaius, a baby western lowland gorilla weighing about 10 kg.
It was the climax of a years-long drama at Mogo Wildlife Park that any soapie screenwriter would approve of, and thankfully, this episode had the happiest ending Chad could hope for.
“Once you open those doors and let everyone interact, you’re helpless. All we could do was watch this enormous gorilla, who dwarfed Kaius, walk over, smell him, gently touch and interact with him and then, to our relief, welcome him into the group,” he says.
“It’s a stand-out memory of my time at Mogo.”
Kisane and Kaius are, in fact, father and son, but family can be complicated at the best of times, and gorillas operate in particularly complex social structures that, in captivity, often require social choreography from the zoo keepers to integrate into viable “troops”.
Each troop has one powerful male at the helm, whose job it is to maintain order. At Mogo, that’s Kisane, who arrived from the UK about five years ago.
“He was a teen when he arrived and was yet to mentally grow into that silverback role,” Chad explains.
“He came from a really good family dynamic where his father was an excellent silverback who managed a large group, and he’d learned a lot.
“He’s an amazing character. He’s very observant and in tune with the goings on of the group and has settled into being a level-headed leader. He’s very much a protector, and that’s what you want.”
Kisane has his work cut out for him, though, as the troop also includes three females with strong personalities and a complicated history.
The oldest is Kriba, who was among the first gorillas to arrive at Mogo from Taronga Zoo about 10 years ago as part of a genetic diversification program. She came with her youngest daughter, Kipensi, and a male who later died of old age.
“Kriba is wise and nurturing. She’s more aloof than the others and doesn’t like to get involved in drama if she doesn’t have to, but she has always been a staunch protector of her daughter Kipensi, with whom she has a very close bond,” Chad says.
Kipensi is the youngest of Kriba’s five children and Kaius’s biological mother. Chad says what she lacks in maturity, she more than makes up for in confidence.
“She’s almost like the spoiled princess,” he laughs. “Partly due to her age, she’s a bit naughty and gets away with murder.”
This sass contributed to the failure of initial efforts to integrate the final female member of the troop, G-anne.
“G-anne was hand-raised in the States, so she is very comfortable with people and has a huge personality. She sees the keepers as part of the group. She’s smart, a big communicator and able to manipulate people into treating her special,” Chad says.
“When I walk past her enclosure, she wags her tongue at me in a flirtatious gesture. She actually knows a few gestures to let us know what she’s thinking. She has the keepers wrapped around her little finger.
“G-anne is an older female and when she first arrived, Kipensi teased her relentlessly.”
When complications during Kaius’ birth in October 2022 led to his rejection from the troop, G-anne got a second chance.
Chad first hand-raised the baby, nursing him back to health from life-threatening sepsis pneumonia before handing him over for surrogacy with Aunty G-anne.
After several months of being raised in an adjacent enclosure within full view of the rest of the troop, a “playful, adventurous, curious and adorable” Kaius was re-introduced to the troop, and Aunty G-anne secured her position alongside him.
“It was the final step after several months of work, but they’re together now,” Chad says.
But Chad is under no illusion they’ll live as one big happy family ever after, for there can only be one adult male in a gorilla troop. According to the natural order, Kaius will only be allowed to stay until around age 10, depending on how tolerant a leader Kisane turns out to be.
“That’s how Kisane came to be in Australia. His dad started to push him out, and he will, in turn, push Kaius out one day,” he says.
“The females still have their moments. Like any group of individuals, you can get personality clashes. It’s up to Kisane to settle those disputes. He’s twice their size, so normally, his presence is enough to calm it down. A good silverback can maintain that social cohesion without having to hurt anyone. He’s a good peacekeeper.”
See these big personalities play out for yourself with half-price adult entry tickets and free Kids Wildlife Adventure Trail tickets throughout the July school holidays. For more information, visit Mogo Wildlife Park.
Original Article published by Dione David on Riotact.
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