Young Gorilla Plays With A Big Ball

The keepers of the Twycross Zoo worked hard to get a huge ball into the gorilla's outdoor enclosure. They lifted it over the glass wall, lowered the ball and then dragged it up the slope. Then they put honey on the ball and did all the other usual daily activities to hide food around the enclosure. The silverback gorilla Oumbi is watching from the window as a keeper pushes some food bits into the hole of the ball.

When he comes outside instead of heading for the ball, he leads for some salad instead. When Lope comes out, he already has some mixture, and he squeezes to the wall as much as he can, so not to go near the ball. He licks the honey of the windowsill, then has a quick look at the ball, but avoids it. Later when he comes back, he looks at the ball again, like it's alien and then just jabs it. The western lowland gorilla gets a bit closer to look into the hole, but still just pokes it.

When he does it a third time, it makes him jump out of the way, and he just looks at it like what is this thing?! Even though he should have got used to it by now as they had it in the inside a while back, but he did avoid it then as well. For the rest of the day, he just avoided it altogether and was just happy with the salad.

Who else thinks that this video is absolutely adorable? Lope is so curious & brave. No one else wanted anything to do with the ball but Lope. Even Oumbi didn't care. This is probably our favorite gorilla family. They are so cute, so smart, and they always put a smile on our faces.

We loved the way Lope curiously looks at the ball and waits to see if it is going to come back at him, and we love seeing more videos of him playing with the ball, and eating lettuce. The more we learn about gorillas, the more impressed we are.

This is extraordinarily interesting to see Lope exercise critical thinking and reasoning between his curiosity to examine this new "object" within his home and his personal need to remain safe. These great beings never fail to amaze! We are sending them 1000 hugs and kisses as they are precious family and we love them!