What is the name of the gorilla attending a lowland reunion in West Africa?”
Facing unusual challenges is not unusual for Purdue’s young faculty member, and only primatologist, Melissa Remis. As a specialist in the behavior and habitat of the western lowland gorilla or Gorilla, gorilla gorilla, Professor Remis has had to spend considerable amounts of time in isolated, rainforest environments. Living in thatched roofed huts that attract numerous kinds of mammals and reptiles; walking, on a daily basis, 10-18 miles on elephant trails searching for nomadic gorillas; and learning to speak Sango, the native dialect of the central African region, is part and parcel of her on-going research. Her subject matter is also challenging to study: The western lowland gorilla is known to be extremely shy and nomadic making her hard to find and to observe in the thick understory of the forest. Data collection requires persistence, and a strong will to face the onslaught of gorilla intimidation charges. Dian Fossey, pioneer in mountain gorilla research, said the charges were alw
Conservationist Damian Aspinall is reunited with a lowland gorilla named Kwibi that he spent five years raising before the animal was released into the wild. Five years later – Aspinall returned recently to reunite with a now ten-year-old Kwibi. The moment was caught on video and now has been published online, going viral, because of the touching moment.
