A New Leading Lady?
Star power. You either have it or you don’t…
Kamba has plenty. She’s got the look. She does not mind the attention. And she really knows how to make an entrance!
Many lucky people witnessed her birth on exhibit in Tropic World last fall. Six months later, the little western lowland gorilla is still the center of attention. She stays close to her mother, Koola, but everyone is curious about her. Even young Nadaya, the juvenile male who still gets plenty of attention in his own right, is drawn to the baby gorilla. Keepers have seen him put Kamba on his back and take her for a ride. Docents and keepers even witnessed Koola placing Kamba on Nadaya’s back and following closely behind the little apes.
“He’s not exactly sure what to do, but he is interested!” said Craig Demitros, Tropic World: Africa lead keeper.
Kamba’s father is the gorilla troop’s silverback, Ramar. He is not involved in childrearing, but that does not mean he is not curious, too. He watches Kamba. She has been observed reaching out for him and, once, even touching his arm hair.
Name Game
There are tales of a unique group of apes in Central Africa that are built like very large chimpanzees but behave more like gorillas. These apes, called koolakambas, are said to nest on the ground but have been thought to be creatures of myth. However, recently researchers have found a large type of chimpanzee that may have inspired these stories.
Keepers at Brookfield Zoo were aware of the myth. They used the name as an affectionate nickname for Koola’s mother Binti Jua because she looks somewhat like a chimpanzee. That nickname was the basis for a great name for her first offspring (Koola). And when Kamba came around, her name was an obvious choice to finish out the phrase!
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Gorilla growth and video of Kamba on page 2