National Geographic Video: The Urban Gorilla [VHS]
Fortunately, it is illegal in most places to hunt and capture gorillas, but it is difficult to enforce the laws. Still, there are hundreds of gorillas being cared for by humans. This video, released in 1991, explores the status of gorillas in captivity. Rapunzel is brought to the Los Angeles Zoo to mate with a dominant silverback. In San Diego a concrete jungle is demolished in 1989 to make a new, more natural habitat for the gorillas. In Atlanta a gorilla named Willie B. takes his first walk outside in 27 years. In a Tacoma, Washington, shopping mall Ivan remains in solitary confinement as the loneliest gorilla in the world. In Columbus, Ohio, a zookeeper is reunited with his favorite pal, Suzie, after being separated for years. She hugs him through the gate. In Howletts, England, the largest colony of urban gorillas thrives under the care of an eccentric millionaire. He longs to put them back in the wild but worries that it's not safe enough yet. This video, though in need of an update, is an important counterpart to learning about primates in the wild and suggests we will "conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."--Cristina Del Sesto