Gorilla fathers are very involved in the lives of their offspring, both in the wild and in captivity. The silverback’s primary role is to protect his family and lead them to safe places to eat and rest, but he frequently becomes a playground and playmate for all the youngsters in the group. Our silverback, Rafiki, is a wonderful dad and loves to play with his 21-month-old daughter, Tumani.
What may look like rough wrestling and biting to us is play to them. At 475 pounds, Rafiki is obviously way bigger than Tumani, who probably weighs less than 30 pounds. He is very careful not to be too rough.
Gorilla babies love to be tickled, and when Rafiki is mouthing Tumani on her belly, that’s just what he’s doing. This results in a gleeful playface and laugh from Tumani. The best time to catch Tumani at her highest activity level is usually in the morning. As we head into winter, the gorillas spend more time inside and it is easier to watch Tumani’s antics.
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3 comments:
Where did the name Tumani come from and what does it mean?
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for your interest. Here’s the scoop on Tumani’s name from the May 2007 edition of the Waterhole newsletter…
“Apparently, fans of the Zoo’s nearly three-month-old female gorilla were feeling hopeful about the plight of endangered Western lowland gorillas. Over 30 percent of the more than 2,500 votes cast in the “Vote for the Gorilla Baby Contest” recommended Tumani (too-MAW-nee), which means “hope” in the Swahili language, as the name for the infant.
The name was announced in April at a special ceremony in Primate World.
Tumani was born to first-time mother Asha and father Rafiki on January 31, 2007.
Your gorillas are beautiful and I'm thrilled about your new blog! Thanks for undertaking the effort. Can you tell me what happened to Zulu? I was a big fan of him as a child. In the old enclosure, zoo visitors tossed pennies across the moat. Zulu would pick them up and stack them on his tongue.
Thanks, Sarah
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