Laurence Dollimore
THIS is Buu, the UK-based gorilla set to travel 2,300km in a bid to start a new family in Spain.
The female, 20, will leave her home at Chessington zoo in London, before travelling to meet her new potential partner Echo at the Bioparc in Fuengirola.
Buu, already a mother in London, will share the habitat with the younger ‘Echo’, who arrived a year and a half ago from a zoo in Kolmarden (Sweden) with Kim, an elderly female.
Before Buu embarks on her expat journey, Bioparc caregiver Javier Vicent must travel to London to meet her.
It is essential he bonds with her and learns everything about her, including her character, diet, behaviours and how she interacts with caregivers.
The silverback gorillas are much more social than other types of primates like chimpanzees.
Javier will observe Buu’s daily life before sharing what he learns with the technical and veterinary team at the park in Fuengirola.
A keeper from the Chessington zoo will also accompany Buu and Javier on the journey to make sure she is as least distressed as possible.
They will also stay for around a month to make sure Buu settles in well to her new home.
The meeting of Buu and Echo is hugely important for the silverback species, which is in serious danger of extinction and is among the 10 most threatened primates in the world.
