To encourage physical activity and help keep our gorillas’ minds sharp, we give them between four and eight forms of enrichment every day. This includes presenting them with novel items, such as toys and puzzle feeders.
This week, we gave the troop some colorful plastic balls and an extra-large yellow LEGO block. Calaya took one of the balls and played with it for a moment before she gave Moke a chance to have fun with it. As I was carrying on with my work, I heard the block clanking about.
I thought Moke was getting a good workout and walked back to the enclosure to see where the noise was coming from. To my surprise, Moke’s dad, Baraka, had the toy, and he was tossing it about in the chute between the indoor enclosure and outdoor yard. When Kibibi approached, Baraka chucked the block towards her so she could play with it. There was only one thing to do—get another block and more balls for all!