Updates on Western Lowland Gorilla "Gentaro" and "Annie"

As previously announced, we are conducting cohabitation training for Western Lowland Gorilla "Gentaro" and "Annie" every day whenever possible. And from September, we have also started training in the evenings, albeit irregularly.

In July, we had to suspend cohabitation training for about three weeks due to construction work on the enclosure. However, when we resumed training, Gentaro appeared much calmer from the first day compared to before the construction, and the two have been able to cohabitate while maintaining a relatively good distance from each other.

In late July, we invited gorillas from overseas to give us various advice on keeping the two gorillas together. As part of this, we have been trying to extend the time they spend together, devising ways to scatter food so that Gentaro does not focus solely on Annie while they are together, and adding more objects such as logs to the enclosure.
Furthermore, we are gradually implementing the advice we received regarding methods such as moving the animals one at a time from their shared enclosure into the barn, and how to proceed with cohabitation in the future. We are also reporting the progress regularly and consulting with the relevant parties.

Recently, by increasing the amount of food scattered while they are living together, Gentaro has started exploring the enclosure more slowly, and Annie is following him little by little on the artificial tree, keeping an eye on him. Sometimes, while Gentaro is working on the feeder (a feeder designed to allow the animals to take their time to get the food) on the ground, Annie will also be getting food from another feeder on the artificial tree.
Furthermore, we've seen an increase in situations where the tension between them seems to have subsided compared to before, such as being able to call out to them from a small window in the second enclosure and conduct training while they're living together.

To avoid putting excessive stress on the two animals, we haven't drastically increased their cohabitation time, and we've now managed to consistently provide them with about 10 minutes of cohabitation time.

Going forward, we will carefully observe the two dogs' behavior and their living situation, and gradually extend the time they spend together. We also plan to increase the number of days when we conduct cohabitation practice twice a day, and we will continue to observe what changes occur in their relationship, so we will continue conducting cohabitation practice in the evenings.

Please note that during the evening cohabitation practice session, we will close the viewing walkway immediately after the exhibition ends to ensure a calm environment. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

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