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Dallas Zoo/AP
going ape

Anti-social 'bachelor' Gorilla moved from zoo because he doesn't like girls

He’s off to live a life of solitude.

A BACHELOR GORILLA is to be moved from Dallas Zoo after he failed to form any meaningful relationships with his fellow apes during his 18-year stay there.

The 430-pound Western lowland gorilla named Patrick, is known for being gregarious with zoo staff and the public, but is ambivalent toward his female counterparts. The 23-year-old has now been handed his walking papers and will be transferred to the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina where he’ll be allowed more solitude, according to a statement issued Monday by the Dallas Zoo.

Dr. Lynn Kramer, head veterinarian at the Dallas Zoo, said that:

It’s become clear that he prefers to live a solitary life. This move will allow Patrick to continue to thrive while creating an opportunity for our four remaining males to form a cohesive bachelor group.

Patrick was born at the Bronx Zoo in New York City in April 1990, but maternal neglect forced him to be moved to the Toronto Zoo where he was hand-raised with another male his own age. When they were five, both gorillas arrived in Dallas and were integrated into a small troop of one silverback and two females, before being removed to form a bachelor group together.

Despite his affability with humans and his popularity in zoo presentations about gorillas, zoo officials said Patrick’s reaction toward female apes has ranged from indifference to aggression.

No move date was announced for Patrick, a gorilla Kramer described as extremely intelligent and adept at using tools. A two-day bon-voyage celebration at the Dallas Zoo will be held Saturday and Sunday.

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Author
Associated Foreign Press
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