Sad Day, Gorilla Wake...

[ToolGuy]

Brookfield Zoo allows gorillas to pay last respects to group's leaderWednesday, December 8, 2004 ASSOCIATED PRESSBROOKFIELD, Ill. - After Babs the gorilla died at age 30, keepers atBrookfield Zoo decided to allow surviving gorillas to mourn the mostinfluential female in their social family. One by one Tuesday, the gorillas filed into the Tropic World building whereBabs' body lay, arms outstretched. Curator Melinda Pruett Jones called it a"gorilla wake." Babs' 9-year-old daughter, Bana, was the first to approach the body,followed by Babs' mother, Alpha, 43. Bana sat down, held Babs' hand andstroked her mother's stomach. Then she sat down and laid her head on Babs'arm. "It was like they used to do in the exhibit, lying side by side on themountain," keeper Betty Green said. "Then Bana rose up and looked at us andmoved to Babs' other side, tucked her head under the other arm, and strokedBabs' stomach." Other gorillas also approached Babs and gently sniffed the body. Only thesilverback male leader, Ramar, 36, stayed away. Keepers said the display wasn't surprising. "She was the dominant female of the group, the peacekeeper, thedisciplinarian, the one who kept things in a harmonious state," Pruett Jonessaid. Koola, 9, brought her infant daughter, whom Babs had showered with attentionsince her birth in August. "Koola inspected Babs' mouth for a while, then held her baby close to Babs,like she loved to do the last couple months, letting Babs admire her," Greensaid. Babs had an incurable kidney condition and was euthanized Tuesday. Keepershad recently seen a videotape of a gorilla wake at the Columbus, Ohio, zooand decided they would do the same for Babs. Gorillas in the wild have beenknown to pay respects to their dead, keepers said. "I had a headache for the rest of the day after all the tears I criedwatching them," Green said.

[ToolGuy]

I find this incredible...

[drunkenmaxx]

eh, youre slow i read this yesterday. strange how human like they can be isn't it?

[Kari]

Well, they basically belong to every group we're in except our species...they are extremely human. Just picturing the whole scene was so sweet...you know they understood exactly what was going on. Animals are so much smarter than many people give them credit for.

[Turbo5Speed]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »Animals are so much smarter than many people give them credit for.And so much smarter than many people.. period.