PICTURES: Spring has sprung for Longleat's gorillas

From April 12th the public can visit the wildlife attraction once again

Author: Jack DeeryPublished 30th Mar 2021
Last updated 30th Mar 2021

The Keepers at Longleat have given the gorillas a floral surprise as they created a new experience for the animals.

They created their own version of a host of golden daffodils around their enclosure.

The daffodils at the gorilla enclosure at Longleat

Ahead of their planned re-opening on April 12th, they wanted to keep the five of them entertained until the public are allowed back.

Keeper Ian Turner said:

"Every year the area around the lake is carpeted with daffodils and it's a sure sign spring is here.

We decided to pick some bunches of flowers and place them around the enclosure to see how Alf, Evindi, Yuba, Suwedi and Kesho would react.

People are sometimes surprised at how dexterous and gentle these hugely powerful creatures can be and it was fascinating to see them carefully pick up individual stems and smell the flowers.

Yuba was definitely the most interested and spent quite a lot of time closely inspecting his bouquet, while Evindi was a little more playful and ended up throwing his daffodils around."

Yuba getting a spring surprise

The Wiltshire park will be back with government guidelines in place, including the 'rule of 6'.

You can find all the details by visiting their website.

Evindi checks out their new enclosure experience

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