Simone van Lier/Zoo Krefeld
Kidogo the German Gorilla.
Nobody puts Kidogo in a corner.
The zookeepers at Krefeld Zoo in western Germany hired Kidogo, a 12-year-old silverback gorilla, as a companion for two female gorillas, Muna and Ora. They wanted to use him to populate the zoo with baby apes. But Kidogo’s high-flying antics have turned him into the main attraction.
When the western lowland gorilla first arrived in his new home last April, he felt out of place. Kidogo was homesick for his old zoo in Denmark, according to Petra Schwinn, director of public relations at Krefeld Zoo.
But since mid-December, Kidogo, nicknamed “King Kodo†by his zookeepers, has been prancing happily around his gorilla garden, the Daily Mail reports. He does somersaults and sprints. He can jump 13 feet to the ground from the top of a tree, with his arms placed confidently at his sides, according to ABC News.
His biggest act is tightrope walking. The rope was first installed in his pen to distract him from his homesickness. The zookeepers thought he would have fun hanging around. But soon, Kidogo was climbing up and walking on the rope, with his arms splayed out for balance.
"He is unbelievably athletic and acrobatic," Schwinn told ABC News. "He is still young and playful. He really demonstrates a strong degree of joie de vivre."
Although he doesn’t perform every day, a photographer managed to catch Kidogo in the act. Schwinn sent the photos out to friends of the zoo. Kidogo’s antics have now caught the attentions of people around the world.
Schwinn isn’t surprised.
"For a gorilla, his behavior is really unusual," Schwinn says. "You can’t say at all that he is a normal animal. We are very excited about it."
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