Grandpa gorilla dies

Artificial insemination planned for Gorirong Jr.

By Kim Rahn

Gorirong, the nation’s only male lowland gorilla and one of the star animals at Seoul Zoo in Gyeonggi Province, died of old age on Feb. 17. He is survived by a female gorilla, Gorina.

He was 49, presumably. The gorilla lived for 49 years since he came to stay at the zoo in Changgyeong Palace in Seoul, previously the Seoul Zoo, from Africa in 1968. Considering the average life span of lowland gorillas is 30-40 years in the wild, Gorirong lived a very long life.

His last few years, however, were not that great. He had difficulty moving due to his old age, and since 2008 zoo staff fed him rice balls so that “grandpa” without teeth could eat more easily. On Jan. 20 his health condition began to deteriorate so the zoo staff and vets began to give him nutrients and took extra care of him, but his death could not be prevented.

Gorirong’s life was in line with the history of the zoo. The gorilla had to have his toes cut as the concrete-floored pen in Changgyeong zoo damaged his feet. Gorina became his mate in 2004, but the old and handicapped male was considered beneath the female in social status and the two were never close.

Hoping the two would have a baby, zoo staffers tried their best to make them close, because it is now impossible to import more lowland gorillas, is they are an endangered species. Seoul Zoo was the only zoo in Korea to have the species.

They removed the concrete floor and presented a more nature-like environment in 2009, and showed Gorirong pornography and fed him Cialis since 2010 to no avail.

Although the nation’s only male lowland gorilla is gone, the zoo and CHA Medical Center are seeking to have Gorirong Jr. through artificial insemination. They have removed his testicles to conduct posthumous sperm retrieval.

His body will be stuffed and displayed for the public after about six months. The zoo has designated the next one month to a period of mourning.

‘할아버지 고릴라’ 고리롱 사망

우리나라에서 유일한 수컷 로랜드 고릴라이자 서울동물원의 스타였던 고리롱이 2월 17일 노환으로 숨졌다. 유족으로는 암컷 고릴라 고리나가 있다.

고리롱은 추정 49세로, 1968년 아프리카에서 서울대공원 전신인 창경원으로 온 이후 43년을 한국에서 살았다. 야생에서 로랜드 고릴라의 평균수명이 30-40년인 것을 감안할 때 고리롱은 장수한 셈이다.

고리롱의 말년은 그리 좋진 않았다. 노환으로 거동이 힘들었고, 2008년부터 사육사들은 이가 빠진 할아버지 고릴라가 쉽게 먹을 수 있도록 주먹밥을 만들어 먹여줬다. 1월 20일 건강이 급격히 나빠져 사육사와 수의사들이 영양제를 주고 보살폈지만 결국 숨졌다.

로랜드 고릴라는 멸종위기종으로 더 이상 수입이 불가능하기 때문에, 사육사들은 고리롱과 고리나가 2세를 갖기를 고대했다. 그들은 우리를 자연과 가깝게 만들어주고 고리롱에게 포르노를 보여주거나 발기부전제를 먹이는 등 애썼으나 결실을 맺지는 못했다.