By C. MacDonald
Congratulations to the San Diego Zoo on its 100th Birthday. For nearly a decade I covered California's most famous Zoo as a reporter for The San Diego Union. One of my favorite stories I wrote was "Abe Bops Bouba: Love At First Smite". I wanted to share it with you today in honor of Abe, Bouba and the Zoo.
Here's my flashback to the remarkable place which literally started
with a roar (and the local surgeon, Dr. Harry Wegeforth, who heard it) from
a mad
lion left over from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.
Wegeforth and his friends created the Zoological Society of San Diego on
Oct. 2,
1916.
ABE BOPS BOUBA-LOVE AT FIRST SMITE
After two months of frustrating delays due to quarantines, stomach ailments
and dental problems, San Diego's famed gorilla couple finally got together
for a
chest-pounding, leg-slapping introduction yesterday.
When they first stood in front of each other--eyeball to eyeball at 9am in
the San Diego Zoo's gorilla grotto--Bouba bashfully glanced away. Then Abe
walked up to Bouba and smacked her on the head. She countered with a left
jab to the nose. Abe jumped up and down, pounding his chest and showing off
his
5-foot-7, 375-pound frame.
Bouba sauntered off, but only after scoring a love slap to Abe's right arm.
Abe went after her. From moment to moment, the 23-year-old male primate from
Colorado showed his amorous interest in the 30-year-old female with a
graying coat.
At times, Abe followed her cautiously, then feverishly. Throughout the
morning and into the afternoon, he kept up a constant combination of testing
and resting.
Bouba, at 4-foot-11, 230 pounds, was able to avoid the advances of Abe, when
she cared to. However, at times, while Abe rested against a rock, arms
folded
and gazing off into space, Bouba darted by him, sidling into a dark corner
of the enclosure.
Along came Abe with renewed ardor. The two primates exchanged a flurry of
body slaps and each looked like they were enjoying their long-awaited
courtship.
"If either Abe or Bouba didn't like what was going on, anyone could hear
their shrieks at the Zoo Gate," said Keeper Harold Mitchell. There were no
shrieks.
The entire dating spectacle was witnessed by a fascinated large crowd as
well as a group of Bornean orangutans, who watched from pole-top perches in
a
neighboring enclosure.
Zoo officials say Bouba's new friend may keep her healthier and happy for
years to come. At 30, most gorillas are well over the hill but she is an
exception.
"Her reproductive organs are fine and she's quite healthy," said Mammal
Curator Mark Rich. "All this new activity with Abe should prove really
beneficial
for her mentally and physically."
"I've never seen her this active before--my, how she has perked up," said
Abbie Crane, a San Diego resident, who has watched Bouba for 30 years. "She
especially has been lonely since Albert (the Zoo's famed male gorilla) died
in October."
"The way she's acting today, there ought to be a band playing, ‘Happy Days
Are Here Again!'"
After a half-hour of chasing each other, Bouba playfully picked up some
animal droppings and flung them at Abe, who basked in the attention.
A good natured crowd cheered them on. One observer could be heard muttering
that the two gorillas resembled two of his best friends in La Mesa. "With
all
the love-slapping going on, I'll bet they both have headaches tonight," he
predicted.
Should all this courtship bear fruit and Bouba become pregnant, their
offspring will be divided between the San Diego Zoo and Abe's home of
record, the
Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park near Colorado Springs.
2920 Zoo Drive
San Diego, CA
(619) 231-1515
sandiegozoo.org