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Gorilla Shufai leans back, resting against the bridge straps that were reinstalled. He seems a bit bored, but then things take a turn. He throws himself onto the ground, holding onto the bridge, but almost immediately gets up again. Not only that, but he sniffs the bridge and then uses it as a hammock. After a minute, he gets back down onto the ground. His mother, Ozala, comes close. He quickly gets up to stay out of her way. Ozala grabs the stick and pulls it away, but surprisingly, not to eat it! If you know Ozala, you'll understand why this is even more surprising—she loves her food. She squeezes under the bridge, rolls onto her back, and moves closer to her son. She puts her hand on his back, and Shufai starts to wrestle with his mum, who is quite happy to let him play. He rolls over onto her belly. They wrestle, and then Shufai is seen sitting on his mother. His behaviour may suggest an attempt at mating, but it's important to note that Shufai is castrated. I did some research on this, and there is more information below. He gets off his mum, and they both wrestle again. Given that Shufai was castrated at a young age and is now nearly 8 years old, it's likely that his behaviour is influenced by his upbringing within the troop and the social dynamics he's observed over time. Castration at a young age would have significantly reduced his testosterone levels, which usually limits the development of sexual behaviours and reduces the likelihood of him being seen as a threat by the silverback. However, even with low testosterone, some social and instinctual behaviours might still manifest, especially as he grows older and becomes more aware of the interactions within the troop. These behaviours might not be as intense or as hormonally driven as they would be in an intact male, but they could still occur due to learned behaviour or residual instincts. The silverback's lack of intervention suggests that Shufai is not perceived as a significant threat or rival. Since Shufai has been part of the troop from a young age and likely doesn't exhibit the full range of typical male behaviours due to his castration, the silverback might tolerate his presence and actions. The social bonds and hierarchy within gorilla troops are complex, and the silverback might recognise that Shufai does not pose a challenge to his dominance.

*From barrel punches to popcorn, Shufai at Tycross Zoo. His mother Ozala chases him for misbehaving. Silverback Oumbi eats below while Biddy watches.* Gorilla Shufai from Tycross Zoo is dismounting the platform, runs to the new barrel and punches it. His mother Ozala was on the other side and not pleased with him doing that, so she chased after him. Ozala stares at him, giving him the evil eye until he moves away. Moments later, you can see in her stance that Ozala is still not happy with him. If it was Lope he wouldn't have stopped, but Shufai took the hint and moved away. Ozala relaxed and sat down so did Shufai. A little later, Shufai comes out with a lot of wood wool, holding it in his arms and rolls through the grass with it. He enjoys sitting in the tree and eating his leaves. Silverback Oumbi down below. Eating a leave and getting his branch take away to eat inside. Shufai is sitting on the stone like it's a chair and having some more browse. At lunch time they had some popcorn. Not a lot, but at least something other than just cabbage. Shufai and Ozala had most of it. Biddy kept her eye on the silverback. Ozala eats her cabbage on the slope. Asante has some leaves by the tree. Next Friday back to the the Gorilla Greenhouse at Beauval's Zoo, France.

*Gorilla youngsters Kovanga and M'baku continue their playful antics. Yamba skips by the pool, while the brothers chase each other. Kovanga takes a tumble, but quickly recovers.* Gorilla youngsters Kovanga and M'baku are continuing their fun in this compilation. Yamba skippes past the pool. The brothers chase each other with Kovanga running through the pool and on the way back stops in the pool to have a drink. In the next clip M'baku pushes Kovanga off the rock after a wrestle, in slow you can see that Kovanga still tries to grab the rope but misses it and he falls to the ground. That's quite a drop, but luckily he seems fine and runs off. Yamba gets up, tries to pull the branch off the platform and then runs off. In the other direction, Silverback Asato across the room in pursued by his son. Some high-speed action between the youngest brothers. Kovanga has another drink. Mum Kabinda is watching the action. Mapenzi is beating his chest. In the next footage, it's either Mayélé or Kiwano as they both hold their ears. The arms are crossed over the back and then even starts walking like that with the ears covered. Not sure why they do this. You would think it's really noisy in there. I'm sure it can be at times like all zoos, but at the time of my visit it was very quiet and hardly any people in there. Yamba is playing with Kiwano. M'baku swinging on the ropes. Mayélé sitting at the top. Website: https://msvrvisual.weebly.com/sloggervlogger.html

*Twycross Zoo Gorillas: Grandma enjoys lunch while Shufai faces a leaf dilemma. Something in the branch makes him reluctant to touch it. Oumbi and Ozala investigate. At lunch, Shufai tightrope walks for cabbage* As promised, I'll keep you up to date with the Gorilla family from Twycross Zoo. Next week, more from the ZooParc de Beauval in France. Gorilla Grandma has got her table to eat her lunch. Shufai has an issue with the branch of leaves. There must be an insect or something in there as he's reluctant to touch it. He takes a different branch instead. Oumbi and Ozala go and check it out as well, with Silverback Oumbi having a real close look. Ozala has another look. Shufai now sits in the bunk above, looking down at it. I zoomed in closer but couldn't see anything obvious. When Shufai sits on the log, he looks at it again and wipes it across the floor. Outside, Asante sits on the top of the climbing frame while the others are busy inside. At lunch, everyone is outside. Today for lunch, it seems like they are getting a Napa cabbage. Shufai comes out, tightrope walking to the hut's roof to get his lunch, with Grandma Biddy down below. Shufai got the cabbage out of the barrel, and Ozala collects it down at the bottom. She takes it up high to enjoy her food on top of the platform. Down below, Oumbi and Biddy are enjoying theirs in harmony for a change. Biddy is on alert, though, when he walks by her. The last clip shows Biddy having a scratch.