Gorilla Moja’s Departure to Spain Postponed

The first baby gorilla raised in Prague Zoo did not leave for Spain on Monday due to health issues. The Director of Prague Zoo Miroslav Bobek told the journalists that the gorilla’s departure to Cabárceno Nature Park will be postponed until next spring.

Moja started to be apathetic, she has a runny nose and doctors suspect virus infection of the upper respiratory tract. Her immobilization and transportation could represent an increased risk,” pointed out M. Bobek he also added that Moja’s health condition could put in danger the other gorillas from Cabárceno Nature Park.

Other complications

new departure date has not been set yet, however, for several reasons, it will not happen before next spring. Moja needs enough time to recover and a departure in the next few weeks would be too risky for her. At the same time, Bikiry is expected to give birth much earlier than expected. With regard to those circumstances, the employees of the zoo do not want to rush Moja’s departure.

What is Moja’s Spanish home like?

The new home of the six-year-old Moja, (meaning she is already an adult), is going to be Cabárceno Nature Park in the north of Spain where she will live with the twenty-five-year-old African male Niky, thirty-year-old female Nadia and fifty-one-year-old female Chelewa. “The zoo garden in Cabárceno was chosen by the co-ordinator of the European Endangered Species Programme for lowland gorillas and as I witnessed myself, he chose well,” said the Director of Prague Zoo Miroslav Bobek.

Moja was born on 13th December 2004 to Kijivu, which came to Prague Zoo from Australia. Her father Richard comes from Britain. Moja in Swahili means “first”. Gorillas in Prague Zoo are sub-species of lowland gorillas. It is estimated that there are approximately 100 000 of them in the world. They are endangered mostly due to deforestation. If their natural habitat keeps disappearing at the same rate as it is today, in forty years’ time they would not have a place to live and scientists fear they would be wiped out.

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