BADONGO, the new alpha male gorilla at Durrell, might not know it, but he carries a considerable weight of responsibility on his broad and muscular shoulders. Having arrived only yesterday, he will currently be settling into his new home and preparing to make the
acquaintance of his new troupe, but in the fullness of time, he will be expected to sire as many baby gorillas as possible.

Badongo’s predecessor, Ya Kwanza, who is now adapting to life in La Vallée des Singes in France, was undoubtedly a magnificent and much-admired creature, but he failed to live up to expectations in the fatherhood stakes. It is to be hoped that the ‘young pretender’ will be more ardent, and that Durrell’s gorilla family will grow.

If this proves to be the case, it will do nothing but good for Durrell as an attraction because baby gorillas are both endearing and fascinating. That, however, is far from the principal reason why Badongo will be encouraged to do his best. Gorillas in the wild are under tremendous pressure from human settlement, poaching and disease. The Jersey captive breeding operation is, therefore, of great significance for the survival of the species.

It is no great secret that Durrell has been under financial pressure in recent years. It is to be hoped that as well as making an important contribution to the organisation’s role as a conservation agency, the new resident at Les Augrès will boost visitor numbers.

Ideally, those visitors will include not only holidaymakers, but also Islanders. All too often, those who live with such ready access to Durrell lose sight of its merit as a beautiful and instructive place to visit.

There is, moreover, more to see and experience than the latest arrival. For example, the new visitor centre, which incorporates a café open to visitors to the park and non-visitors, will be a novelty for many who live only minutes away from the centre.

The biblical principle that ‘a prophet is not without honour, save in his own country’ can be said to apply to Durrell. The outside world appears to be in no doubt about its value, but Islanders can be blasé about what it does and what it offers. We hope that the new wave of publicity surrounding Badongo will help to set that right.