Something In His Hand
They were already familiar with his habits, so when Bobo the gorilla began acting strangely, they simply had to follow him and find out what he was up to. They tried to figure out what he was holding in his hands from a distance because they didn’t want to get too close. The staff was all in agreement when they realized what it was: they had never seen an ape do anything like that before.
Something In His Hand
Bobo The Gorilla
Bobo was an orphan when he arrived at the Mefou Primate Sanctuary in Cameroon. Poachers kidnapped his mother when he was only two years old, so he wasn’t the most gregarious ape when he arrived. On the other hand, Bobo grew into a strong adult gorilla and eventually became the sanctuary’s dominant ape. In short, this is not the kind of ape with which a poacher would want to mess.
Bobo The Gorilla
Kind-Hearted
The 350-pound gorilla was actually a sweetheart, despite his intimidating size. Bobo had earned the respect of the other apes by never being aggressive with them. Politics in the ape world, on the other hand, can be vicious as newcomers vie for the throne. Bobo had worked hard for his position at the top, and he wasn’t about to relinquish it without a fight.
Kind Hearted
Challenged For His Position
Since he was brought into the sanctuary, Elissa, who had cared for Bobo, explained, “Younger males Kibu and Nkamum once challenged Bobo for his position.” She added, “They were never successful and no longer attempt to take control.” However, Elissa became concerned when Bobo began acting in inconsistent ways with his role as the campus’s big ape. What was wrong with him?
Challenged For His Position
Acting Odd
More than 300 gorillas, chimps, and monkeys live at the sanctuary, which is run by the UK-based charity Ape Action Africa. When Elissa realized something was likely causing Bobo’s sudden attitude shift, she knew she needed to keep a close eye on him to ensure he wasn’t a threat to the other primates.
Acting Odd
He Was Hiding
Bobo had begun to hide in the long grass when sanctuary staff approached, despite his usual confidence in strutting around the enclosure. The longer Elissa watched him, the more it became clear that he wasn’t hiding in the foliage but rather something he didn’t want the staff – or the other apes – to know about.
He Was Hiding
Making A Diagnosis
Everyone who worked at the sanctuary knew that the apes in their care had typically been traumatized, which was why they were there. So, it was in everyone’s best interest to figure out what was going on as soon as possible when a giant gorilla started acting strangely. Elissa was concerned about something Bobo was doing in particular.
Making A Diagnosis
Protecting Them From Threat
Ape Action Africa established Mefou Primate Sanctuary in response to the out-of-control illegal bushmeat and pet trades that were threatening Cameroon’s primates’ habitats and well-being. The staff had made a solemn promise to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of the animals in their care, and they all took their jobs very seriously.
Protecting Them From Threat
Following Bobo
The sanctuary specialized in primate care, which included dealing with the post-traumatic stress that many of the animals had experienced as a result of the dramatic circumstances that brought them there. As a result, Elissa trailed Bobo around the enclosure, observing his increasingly erratic behavior. What he was holding in his hands was the burning question on everyone’s lips.
Following Bobo
Looking For Bobo
Before heading to the grassy area where she first noticed Bobo’s change in behavior, Elissa waited until he was out of sight. She searched the entire area but discovered nothing unusual. But as she watched him more closely later that afternoon, she noticed he hadn’t hidden his secret item at all; instead, he’d kept it on him.
Looking For Bobo
It Was Alive
Bobo was usually very friendly with the sanctuary staff, but whenever Elissa tried to approach him, he quickly pushed her away. She got close enough to see what he was fussing over in his hands eventually. Bobo wasn’t guarding some random object; he was caring for another living creature.
It Was Alive
A Small Creature
When Bobo realized he was being watched, he became spooked once more and bolted into the overgrown grass. Elissa couldn’t see the crying creature in the ape’s hand because it was too small. To figure out what Bobo was up to, she’d have to devise a far more sophisticated strategy.
A Small Creature
A Tiny Primate
Bobo poked and prodded the furry little animal, which seemed perfectly content to rest in the giant gorilla’s paw. Staff thought this was strange because rodents would be more likely to flee. Perhaps it’s hurt, she reasoned. Elissa quickly determined that it wasn’t a rodent using a pair of binoculars. It turned out that the tiny creature was also a primate.
A Tiny Primate
Instincts Of A Father
Because the sanctuary cared for so many apes, it’s understandable that they might lose track of one or two. But not at Mefou, which took great pride in providing individualized care to each animal. So, where did the small primate in Bobo’s hands come from if it wasn’t from the sanctuary?
Instincts Of A Father
The Galago
“Galago” was the type of primate they were studying. According to the staff, the creature had made its way into Bobo’s enclosure from the forest that surrounded the sanctuary. The galago, also known as a “bush baby” because of the sound they make when they cry, wasn’t the type of primate they usually took care of at Mefou. They certainly wouldn’t entrust the task to a colossal ape, even if he did treat the little creature as if it were his own.
The Galago
Brave Little Bush Baby
Elissa said, “The bush baby showed no fear of Bobo, moving around his body and spending time hopping around in an open grassy area before choosing to return to Bobo.” But it wasn’t just Bobo’s special treatment of the galago that surprised her. A wild bush baby sighting was extremely rare, especially considering it shouldn’t have been there at all.
Brave Little Bush Baby
Nocturnal Primates
“Bush babies are usually nocturnal, so it is very rare to see one and even rarer to witness this kind of interaction,” Elissa continued. Galagos almost exclusively hunt and feed in the dark, so seeing one being fed breakfast by a gorilla was one of Elissa’s favorite sights. That isn’t the only oddity about the whole thing.
Nocturnal Primates
A Case Of Nature Vs. Nurture
“Wild primates and rescued ones seldom interact with each other like this. They’re either at a sanctuary or they’re in the jungle. We have never witnessed a wild primate interacting with a rescued one,” said Elissa. However, Mefou’s enclosures’ unique location by the forest allowed for a once-in-a-lifetime encounter between a tiny wildling and a giant friendly gorilla, which quickly became a huge attraction for the other apes.
A Case Of Nature Vs Nurture
Happy Little Bush Baby
Elissa stated, “The little bush baby was happy to play in Bobo’s arms, hopping off to explore the grass nearby, before returning to Bobo’s hand.” It didn’t take long for the other apes in the group to notice what had occupied Bobo’s mind. And a few of the more curious ones moved in for a closer inspection.
Happy Little Bush Baby
Keeping A Distance
“Bobo’s group-mates were desperately curious, but he kept them all at a distance, making sure no one disturbed his new friend,” said Elissa. Bobo, sensing the galago’s need, offered him the chance to return to his natural habitat by lifting him to a tree branch that overhung the enclosure. Elissa was overjoyed that they had managed to capture the experience on film and that the apes were doing well.
Keeping A Distance
Posted On Facebook
Fortunately, the sanctuary’s staff had videotaped every minute of the unusual encounter. “Our silverback gorilla Bobo made a surprising new friend this week — a wild bush baby!” they put as a caption on their Facebook post. The post continued by saying, “Caregivers discovered him cradling the tiny primate during their morning checks, and were amazed to see him handling it with the utmost care.”
Posted On Facebook
Going Viral
The video quickly went viral, with over 1.7 million views and over 2,000 comments! The heartwarming interaction between Bobo and his tiny friend moved people from all walks of life all over the world. The majority of people were quick to point out that Bobo exhibited a trait that we could all learn from…
Going Viral
An Empathic Gorilla
One commenter wrote, “These gorillas have a very nurturing and empathic nature, the human race could learn from these beautiful, thoughtful animals,” while another user commented, “Exactly why I love gorillas… because they’re amazingly gentle giants who are extremely intelligent animals.” As a result, endangered species like the Gorilla must be protected.
An Empathic Gorilla
Threatened
Unfortunately, forest conversion to industrial agriculture projects is putting these great apes in jeopardy all over the Congo basin. The eastern and western gorillas are two different species of gorillas. Eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas, and western lowland gorillas and cross river gorillas are divided into two subspecies.
Threatened
Very Intelligent
Gorillas have a high level of intelligence. Wild gorillas have been seen using sticks to gauge water depth, bamboo as ladders to help infants climb, and most recently, gorillas have been seen using sticks to eat ants without being stung for the first time. The gorillas’ impressive communication abilities, which have been recorded making over 25 different sounds, are another sign of intelligence.
Very Intelligent
Closest To Our Kind
Gorillas and humans share 98.3 percent of our DNA, making them our third-closest relatives after chimps and bonobos. Unfortunately, gorillas are one of the world’s most endangered species. Cameroonian charitable organizations are working to change that. However, as you might expect, a large sanctuary requires an even larger influx of funds to continue its work. They rely on volunteers as well as public donations.
Closest To Our Kind
A Humble Start
Ape Action Africa was founded in 1996 as a UK charity called CWAF, or Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund. The charity’s main goal was to improve the living conditions for primates at Yaoundé’s Mvog-Betsi Zoo. CWAF expanded its mission to provide sanctuary for wild orphans of the illegal bushmeat trade, such as Bobo, over the course of its 12 years of operation.
A Humble Start
One Of The Largest Conservation Projects
Ape Action Africa is now one of the largest conservation projects of its kind in Africa, with over 300 primates under its care. Bobo’s group includes the Silverback, Bobo, two black backs, Kibu and Nkamum, three females, Jasmine, Geri, and Avishag, and her juvenile Eto-fils is one of the established gorilla groups in the Mefou Primate Sanctuary.
One Of The Largest Conservation Projects
Raising Awareness
Bobo’s internet fame has helped to raise awareness about the plight of these animals, as well as the charitable organizations that work tirelessly every day to preserve Cameroon’s natural heritage for future generations. Their work is extremely important. Aside from the bushmeat trade, habitat loss is another major threat to Cameroon’s primates’ long-term survival. Cameroon’s tropical rainforest covers more than 20 million hectares, but it is rapidly disappearing due to unsustainable foresting and poaching practices. But all is not lost…
Raising Awareness
There Is Hope
There is still hope for gorillas, despite their status as an endangered species. Sir David Attenborough, who visited Cameroon for the first time in 1979, said, “It is incredibly heartening to see how the efforts of so many different groups – communities, governments, NGOs – have paid off. The threats to mountain gorillas haven’t disappeared entirely, of course, so now the challenge must be to ensure that these achievements are sustained long into the future.”
There Is Hope