brendanconnal
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The fall of 2003 brought sad days to the zoo in Barcelona, Spain. After nearly 40 years, Snowflake the white gorilla -- who was the zoo's most famous resident -- was nearing death. Crowds gathered to pay a last, respectful visit to the elderly, ivory-maned gorilla, an emblem of one of Spain's proudest cities. His wrinkled face and knowing eyes stared out from posters and postcards on every corner.
Snowflake's keepers could barely conceal their pain. "Snowflake has lost his desire to play around with the rest of the family," said one, sighing; "he prefers to sit alone, out of sight." The keeper mentioned that caretakers were giving the gorilla painkillers.
The end came on November 24, 2003, when Snowflake died from cancer. "Until the end Snowflake enjoyed a fantastic quality of life, interacting normally with his children and grandchildren," said the zoo's chief, Jesus Fernandez.
But while Snowflake may be gone, his legacy remains. In his time at the zoo, he fathered 21 gorillas, who have in turn given birth to 10 grandchildren, says Carme Mate, a primatologist in Barcelona who observed Snowflake for years. "The mothers were 3 females born in Equatorial Guinea, like Snowflake," she says. "Their names were Ndengue, Bimbili, and Yuma. Ndengue was always his favorite, and Snowflake showed much distress after her death" a few years before his own.
Four of Snowflake's children are still alive, Mate says. Three females, Kena, Machinda, and Virunga, live at the Barcelona Zoo. One male, Bindung, resides at the Fukuoka Zoological Garden in Japan. Nine grandchildren also survive, five of whom are still at the Barcelona Zoo. "Snowflake's last grandchildren were born in August 2004," says Mate. "Two are twins, male and female. This is a remarkable event, since the birth of twins is quite unusual in gorillas." |
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