Gorilla Bai

Only recently, a unique habitat was discovered in the heart of Africa: the Bai. Bais are open patches amidst the thick rainforest of the Congo, sometimes including large waterholes. These light spots in the dark jungle are full of life. They are the meeting points of all kinds of animals such as Dwarf elephants, Sitatunga, Red river hogs, Silvery-cheeked hornbills and of course the gentle giants of Africa - the gorillas. Some of these shy animals can only be seen together when they come to those Bais, which is regarded as a zoological sensation.

Zoo Schmiding offers an insight into this unique habitat and its Gorilla Bai was built to mirror its natural counterpart. The exhibit provides a home for four adolescent male gorillas, who grow up together to form a stable bachelor group. The zoo environment is of the highest modern standards and offers a naturalistic space of 1800m² with many hiding and resting places, climbing structures, large tree trunks and much more.

Djengi, Awembe, Kisumu and Bukavo are the names of the four gorilla boys at Zoo Schmiding. The two younger ones, Djengi and Awembe, were hand-reared in Stuttgart Zoo, whereas Bukavo and Kisumu came from a gorilla family at Munich Tiergarten Hellabrunn. The animals are part of the international gorilla conservation breeding programme, which provides a safety net in zoos for this nearly extinct species. In situ conservation programmes in the natural habitat of lowland gorillas are currently problematic due to civil wars, the bushmeat crisis and other difficult social circumstances. Ex situ conservation programmes that involve zoos are therefore of particular importance. An increase of the zoo population by captive breeding intends to aid the survival of the species. In the future it is hoped that carefully selected captive gorillas can be reintroduced to the African habitat.