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Yeboah
Charmer: keepers at London Zoo hope its new male gorilla Yeboah will mate with females Zaire, Mjukuu, and Effie

London Zoo brings in French lover Yeboah

Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Editor
27 Aug 2009


It has taken eight months and a worldwide search, but London Zoo has finally found a mate for its female gorillas — in France.

Yeboah, a 12-year-old, will be moved to his new home from La Boissière Du Doré zoo, near Nantes.

Keepers have spent months scouring the globe for a replacement after Bobby the gorilla, one of the zoo's main attractions, died last December.

Mjukuu
Mjukuu
They visited Yeboah a month ago to observe his personality and his suitability for the zoo's singletons, Mjukuu, 10, Effie, 16, and Zaire, 34.

Today the females will be shown life-sized pictures of their new 20-stone companion to get them accustomed to him.

Zaire
Zaire
Tracey Lee, the team leader of the Gorilla Kingdom exhibit, said: “Yeboah lives with a silverback gorilla which means he has remained a blackback but when he comes to London he will naturally take control of our group and develop a silver back.

“I think it will be love at first sight when the girls are let on to the island to look at the pictures — it's going to be a very special moment.”

Effie
Effie
Gorilla Kingdom, a £5.3 million enclosure which opened in March 2007, was the zoo's most significant investment for more than 40 years.

The zoo has pledged to contribute £500,000 to gorilla conservation in central Africa, where there are thought to be only 100,000 of the primates left, from the development of the exhibit.

Reader views (2)

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How does the zoo know this animal is not
gay?

- Le Haut, Poitiers,France, 10/11/2009 19:23
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Ohh Lala!!

I can just imagine the ladies swooning over their bit of French Fancy Man.

Nice story.

- Mrs, London UK, 10/11/2009 18:23
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