"WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY AND YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE AWE IN YOUR HEART FOR ONE OF OUR CLOSEST RELATIVES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM."
Nature “Snowflake: The White Gorilla”
Reviewed by
Kevin Wright, DVM,
Director of Conservation, Science, and Sanctuary
The Phoenix Zoo
Nothing is quite so jarring as seeing something familiar twisted in unexpected ways which is why Snowflake became such an icon in the zoo world, with his white fur, pink face, and blue eyes that stood him apart from every other gorilla in the world. “Snowflake: The White Gorilla” is the newest documentary for the long-running series “Nature” and tells a moving tale that weaves together the fate of this flagship animal of the Barcelona Zoo with other gorillas in captivity and the wild.
Before the birth of Colo the gorilla at the Columbus Zoo in 1956, every gorilla in a zoo was an orphan whose family had been gunned down so that the younger ones could be captured and sold into captivity. These archival images are among the most heart-rending ones in the documentary, setting the tone for the sad beginnings of gorilla exhibits in zoos. Although the orphan gorillas soon transferred their affection to their human caregivers, these relationships were doomed when the gorilla grew too large to play safely with its fragile companions. Before the 1970s, gorillas in zoos endured husbandry practices that had no connection to the life of a wild gorilla. The food was wrong, the social connections were absent, and the concrete and metal bar cages accommodated few of the natural activities that a gorilla needs to stay physically and mentally healthy.
Every gorilla story has to acknowledge the work of Dian Fossey, whose studies of the mountain gorilla revolutionized our understanding of these magnificent primates. With the understanding of how important family was to a wild gorilla came the shift in zoo practices to allow gorillas to raise their own babies and stay together as extended families. The diet of the wild gorilla is comprised of leaves and other plant material, a far cry from the yogurt, meat, and fruit diets that were standard for captive gorillas in the mid-20th Century. The old concrete pit exhibits have evolved into complex habitats at zoos that strive to accommodate a full range of gorilla behaviors: foraging for food, climbing high and building tree-top beds, and watching how baby gorillas are raised by their mom and dad. The best of the modern zoos recognize the obligation to make a connection between the gorilla and the zoo-goer. One innovation at the Bronx Zoo’s Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit is allowing guests to choose which conservation project will benefit from their admission price.
Some of the most disturbing images in the documentary reflect the tragedy of the bushmeat trade, where gorillas and other wild animals are killed to provide food for urban populations. The sightless eyes of dead gorillas in a marketplace are haunting. I wish the documentary offered concrete ways for viewers to take action as the high emotions these scenes evoke demand an outlet. (You can check out www.bushmeat.org if you want to do something more than just be angry about this crisis.)
The documentary concludes with Snowflake’s death, leaving behind many children and grandchildren but nary a white-furred one among them. In his forty-year life, the world of zoo gorillas improved considerably but the fate of his wild relatives has gotten worse, with extinction likely unless people care enough to stop it. Watch this documentary and you’ll walk away with a little bit more awe in your heart for one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.
Nature "Snowflake: The White Gorilla" airs
Sunday, May 14 at 8 p.m. on Eight/KAET.
