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Lowland Gorilla Largest of the apes, the lowland gorilla is native to the lowland tropical rain forests of western and central equatorial Africa. Males reach a height of five to six feet with a nine foot arm spread and weigh approximately 450 pounds in the wild and up to 600 pounds in zoos. Typical life span is forty years. These individuals live in groups of up to twenty in number headed by a dominant silver back who is at least fourteen years old. They are highly intelligent and devoted to their family group which remains intact until the youngsters reach maturity and leave to find mates outside of the family. Males actively defend their mates and offspring which increases their chances of being killed by hunters who attempt to steal their young (a, young gorilla is called a child). The silverback normally relies on bluffs, roaring and beating his chest to frighten intruders . The main threats to the gorilla are leopards, poachers, and loss of habitat which is cleared for agriculture and logging. In Africa, gorilla meat is viewed as a symbol of wealth and prestige among indigenous cultures. The Great Ape Survival Project was created by the United Nations in order to attain political support and funding to protect all species of gorilla. Ramses is a nineteen year old silverback residing at the Ft. Worth Zoo. I spent over an hour in the primate pavilion with Ramses during this particular visit. Image I captures his mood as he relaxed after a meal and made eye contact with me. A short time later, three absurdly immature young men came into the habitat yelling, wildly gesturing and making "monkey noises." Ramses' mood change and anger is captured in image II. Shortly after I took this shot, Ramses lost his temper and displayed his anger with roars and chest beating directed at the perpetrators who promptly left the premises. My last image of Ramses is this one of resignation of his inability to adequately remove the bad-mannered humans. Greatest threat - man For a paradigm shift, read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
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