Benji The Orangutan At Halloween

Happy Halloween everybody! 
Benji The Orangutan At Halloween https://buff.ly/2CVajjQ
Dudley zoo always gives the Orangutans a sheet to cover up at this time of the year and they love slinging it over their head and walk around with it. It must give them some protection from the cold as well. Not sure if he is too happy with his choice of costume this year as he has a bit of a strop on when he pulls that tire. He has a little twirl and decides to go inside. When back outside, he is still undercover eating some grass. 
I'm looking forward to the Orangutans getting their new enclosure. Dudley Zoo is half way there to fund this. 
Dudley Zoological Gardens is a 40-acre zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England.  In the past couple of years more and more has been done to improve the zoo with some great new enclosures.

#halloweencostume #halloween?? 



#halloweeneveryday #halloween2018?? #halloween2018?? #video #halloweenvideos #Orangutans #orangutan 

Enrichment And Food For The Gorillas

I always get asked about enrichment for the gorillas. Most of it always happens when the zoo isn't open for visitors or the weekends which I try and avoid because it’s too busy. When I visit them, I only see what is left of it. Shufai played with some leftover paper from a cardboard box and Ozala was eating the last bits of food that were hidden in the hessian sack. Lope loves his occasional Kong Toy, which they filled with something sticky. He had to try and get it out with the stick or his fingers. When he finished he threw it, unfortunately I didn’t catch the throw. Inside there was a gym ball that was surprisingly still inflated. Lope had a little touch, but wasn't quite sure of what to make of the ball and avoided it all day after that. The rest of the family wasn't too impressed with it either. Sticks and trees are always available for them as they love to chew the bark of it. Asante prefers to take her food up to the top bunk, that’s why you can never see her through feeding time. During the day there are several feedings. A scatter feed, where the food is thrown over the wall from the visitor site so they have to forage for it in the grass. Sometimes they get locked inside and staff places food outside including all over the climbing frame. Or other times they get locked in the back away from visitors when they do their medical checks. They did a big feed outside where Ozala got hold of all the fat balls, as you can see she loves them. Another time Lope got hold cauliflower and some letters, he didn’t hold back. A look at the little waterfall and pools with Biddy in the back, leaning against the warm wall sunbathing as usual. Normally the family doesn’t go anywhere near the pool or water, not even during the heatwave, but when a little food from the scatter feed has fallen in, that is when Ozala braves the water in fishes out what she can.

Mischievous Gorilla Lope Prodding Mum

Mum Ozala and her son Shufai moved some wood shaving up to the top bunk to have a rest. Lope is having none of it and comes charging in and gives the two a poke with his finger from under the bed. Ozala, understandable is not pleased. She's trying to keep Lope away, but he's not giving up. After Lope has another go, mum Ozala moves with Shufai off the bed and you think he's about to feel Ozalas force, but she just calmly stands there. Maybe her look to Lope says it all.

Is Lope Going To Let Shufai Play With The New Toy?

When Twycross Zoo put a tyre in the Gorilla enclosure, Lope was the first to investigate. This time Shufai is trying to have a little play. He only manages a couple of seconds before Lope comes charging. Lope has swing on the tyre before he sees dad coming and suddenly starts running. Even though Oumbi wasn't charging at him, I think Lope new to just get out of his way. That gave Shufai a clear coast to continue his play with the tyre. He does his usual circling when suddenly Lope comes charging back. Little Shufai is quickly taking cover over by their mum Ozala. With Lope out of the way again, and Asante watching, Shufai continues his play.

Lope The Gorilla Doesn't Get Tired Of His New Toy

Back to our lovable Lope again this week. He's got a new toy, a tyre. Running straight up to it to investigate it. Swinging , beating his chest with one of the strap in his mouth and just being silly.

Still trying to get to grips with so many negative comments about the last Oumbi and Lope videos, from people that don't really know the family or just hate zoos. Can I just say: the doors of the gorilla housing to the outside of the enclosure are open most of the time during the day for the gorillas to choose when and if they want to go outside. It only shuts when the keepers scatter the food outside. They've also got a small area at the back which they can access at any time to get away from us humans. Just because I do close ups, doesn't mean that's all the space they have. Outside they have a climbing frame, a little waterfall, a hut and a den. Yes the enclosure is not the newest out there and hopefully they will get something better in the future. The tiling inside is not the best, but unfortunately necessary as they do need to clean the inside several times a day and they’ve got plenty of wood shavings to make their beds on the floor or up on the climbing frame ( inside and outside) . Twycross Zoo opened it’s doors in 1963 to fulfil their dream of protecting primates. The zoo is constantly changing and has an ambitious Masterplan to change lots more enclosures. They just finished the Chimpanzee Eden project and before that the gibbons got a new enclosure , with lots more to come in the future. Twycross supports over 55 conservation and welfare projects from 27 different countries around the world.

Silverback Gorilla Trying To Keep Calm As He Puts Up With Sons Antics

A longer video than usual and I'm sure the Silverback Gorilla Oumbi and his son Lope will keep you entertained.
Oumbi is having a rest, well he is trying to, under the pavilion. Making himself comfortable, while Lope is being silly on the other side of the wall. Strutting his stuff, his face covered in wood wool. He does a little twist and beats his chest and then he goes to work on being the most annoying son he can be. :-). He looks around the corner and stares at dad., he's tries hard to ignore him. Lope beats his chest again and bangs on the wall where his dad is leaning against. The second time he does it, Oumbi hits back at the wall as to say keep it down boy. We all know Lope by now, he doesn't give up easily, so he does it again and again. When Lope does his spins and it gone quite Oumbi hits the wall with his fist, like he almost missed Lopes annoying antics. Look at Lope after his spins, he's just resting his head casually on his head lying down. Looking in dads direction and off he goes again. Than he tries a different method coming running from the other site. Oumbi beats his chest. The second time Lope comes round the other site is just so funny, he just pokes his head around the wall slowly and then the rascal throws a stick at dad and beats his chest! I would just love to know what Oumbi is thinking. Looking at his face now, he's starting to get more annoyed and waiting for his sons next move.

Gorilla Lope Master Of Sliding - Rolling Down The Slope

This is a small compilation of Lope on the Slope. As you know he just loves rolling and sliding down the slope in his enclosure and these are some funny moments. Sliding down backwards towards mum and Shufai and Ozala not quite sure what to make of that. Running and sliding down the slope into grandma Bidi. Running and sliding, running and rolling. Lope just loves it.

Lope And Shufai Chasing Each Other

Lope and Shufai having a blast chasing each other through their inside enclosure. Into one door out of the other. 

Fun Wrestling Gorilla Brothers Lope And Shufai

Lope and baby brother Shufai are having a fun wrestling match again. It always amazes me how gentle Lope can be when he wants to be. He's letting Shufai take the lead again.

Jambo The Hairless Chimp Uses Stick To Tend To His Wound

Jambo the hairless chimp is using a little stick to tend to his wound. I'm not quite sure what he is trying to do. Maybe he tries to get some dirt out of it.

For the people that don't know Jambo:
The question on your mind is, why is Jambo hairless? People also call him the “naked chimp”. Some people think they shaved him or that he is ill. The truth is, that Jambo has alopecia, a medical term for hair loss and he had it since adolescence. He is now 35 years old and with his hair gone you can simply see how powerfully muscular he is. Being hairless hasn’t stopped him from anything, rather the opposite as he’s the alpha male and at the moment still rules his habitat, but this is challenged by the younger male called Kibali. Which is completely natural and the fights aren't for the faint hearted.