In loving memory of Rola the gorilla

📷 Oct 2024
📍 Chiba Zoological Park
(unreleased footage)

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It is unreleased footage of Rola. The video was filmed before trees were planted. It was filmed on the same day when I filmed the pairing of Chacha and Brave the siamangs.

Announcement on relocation of gorillas in Japan:
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About Western Lowland Gorilla
Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Habitat: The most widespread gorilla subspecies, it can be found across more than 700,000 km² of Central and West Africa.
Lifespan: 35 yrs in the wild (to 60 yrs in captivity)
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
It is the smallest of the four gorilla subspecies, which also include the Cross River gorillas, Grauer’s gorillas, and mountain gorillas. It has shorter black-brown hair, longer arms, and a more prominent ridge along their brow. The adult males, called silverbacks, have silvery-grey hair on their backs and thighs. Their heads are large and pointed, with a sagittal crest forming the back of the top of the head. Its population has been decreasing due to poaching and disease. The estimated population in 2013 was almost 362,000 individuals (IUCNredlist.org). Fewer than 150,000 western lowland gorillas remain in the wild (gorillas.org).

ROLA ♀
1977/09/21 - 2025/05/15
POB: Beppu Cable Rakutenchi, Japan
Sire: Gonta｜Dam: Rirako
Rearing: Hand-reared
Ownership: Ueno Zoo
• 1977/09: Rola was born and was being hand-reared in a vet's house. No trial was attempted to return her to Rirako.
• 1980/11: Transferred to Tobu Zoo
Basically she was living alone, but her keeper played with her so she wouldn't feel lonely.
• 1993/10: Transferred to Ueno Zoo and lived with her mother, Rirako, and other gorillas.
• 2008/12: She and Kenta were transferred to Chiba Zoo, and she lived with him until he passed away in 2016.
• 2009 - 2010: The zoo tried pairing up Monta with Rola several times. It didn't go well. Both ended up living separately.
• 2025/4/25: Rola became unable to move by herself in the outside enclosure.
• 2025/5/15: Rola passed away.
Her cause of death: pulmonary edema due to complications from anesthesia
(Fore more details about her death, please see my tribute video.)

Rola had difficulty in communicating with other gorillas. Especially when she was put with a silverback, she became ill, except with an individual like Kenta, who had no interest in gorillas. She loved sunbathing. She occasionally exhibited abnormal behaviors such as coprophagy, licking urine, and R/R (regurgitation and reingestion). She often showed discomfort in her mouth, probably due to her serious dental issues. Rola always searched for earthworms as her companions.

Story about pairing up of Monta and Rola    • Monta and Rola: A Pairing Story at Chiba Zoo  
Video focusing on "Regurgitation and Reingestion" by Rola    • Regurgitation & Reingestion by female gori...  
Tribute to Rola's passing    • Goodbye, Rola. We miss you.  

References
Savage & Wyman, 1847. International studbook for the western lowland gorilla Gorilla g. Gorilla
GAIN Great Ape Information Network
IUCN - Gorilla gorilla ssp. gorilla, Western Lowland Gorilla
The Gorilla Organization

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