He Barcelona Zoo yesterday reported the death of gorilla Xebo, at the age of 39. Born in Rotterdam Zoo in 1985, he arrived in Barcelona in 1996 as part of the EEP (European Endangered Species Programme) program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). In its publication through social networks, and with the usual opacity, the Barcelona Zoo The report does not mention the specific cause of the animal’s death, other than “a weakening process that could not be reversed.”
Xebo He has had descendants, he has been a father and grandfather, but none of these individuals has been reintroduced into the wild. They have joined the list of gorillas They are born and die in captivity in European zoos, businesses based on the exhibition of animals. The situation is so paradoxical that in the EAZA Guide to Good Practice for the Gorilla, drawn up by the Barcelona Zoo itself, a chapter is devoted to “male overpopulation”.
Recently, the EAZA has been forced to publish a position statement in which it acknowledges that: “additional solutions are needed to avoid a problematic situation in the coming years, where too many adult men who cannot become group leaders cannot join a group of single people remain human beings for whom a long lonely life is a matter of prosperity and not desirable.”
XEBO: a life marked by electric shocks
If you look closely at the facilities of the gorillas of the Barcelona Zoo, can be seen electric shepherds in various places on the outdoor terraces. They are positioned so that they have no access to trees or grass, with the aesthetics of the site taking precedence in the eyes of the visitor over the behavioral needs of these primates, such as foraging. Another place where we can see them is in a corridor with glass, as an exhibitor, where we find them in very small and unnatural spaces, exposed to the gaze of the public, who can come up and knock on the glass.
Several stereotypical behaviors are observed in the gorillas from the Barcelona Zoothat give a good picture of the lack of well-being of individuals: turning away, pulling out hair on oneself or others, eating one’s own hair that has been pulled out (trichophagia), repeatedly eating feces, parts of the body lacking hair, repeatedly touching of eyes and nose, apathetic behavior.
Of course, the Barcelona Zoo It doesn’t explain all these problems. The fact that the public does not notice these situations is good evidence that the educational model of the zoo can’t explain who they are gorillas. If he did that, it would be the visitor himself who would ask for an explanation zoo for the situation of these animals.
ZOOXXI He deeply regrets the life he has had. Xebo in the Barcelona Zooan institution that still does not comply with the regulation approved in 2019. Particularly for the gorillasHe zoo should stop breeding and look for a sanctuary that can provide better welfare conditions, where these great apes can express their natural behavior, away from public view.