Overview
- A four-day-old gorilla died after its father, Yeba, bit the infant in the chest during scuffles with the mother, Joas, the zoo reported.
- The mother is carrying the corpse and Zoo Basel says it will not intervene in that natural behavior while the ape house remains open to visitors.
- Earlier the same day Yeba bit another male, Mobali, so badly that the zoo had Mobali euthanized for his injuries.
- Yeba was transferred to Basel from a French zoo in October and this was his first offspring while Joas is an experienced mother, a combination the zoo says can complicate social integration.
- Zoo Basel calls juvenile killings by conspecifics not uncommon in gorilla social groups and says it is closely monitoring group dynamics and consulting external experts on next steps.