Ivan's Story
Rachel MacNabb
Center for Conservation and Behavior
Zoo Atlanta is home to many charismatic creatures, but visitors to the Ford African Rainforest may encounter a living success story in the looming form of Ivan. This 41–year–old male Western lowland gorilla may be famous for his rags-to-riches transition from tiny enclosure to expansive natural habitat or for his West coast fan base, but his greatest claim to fame is his role as messenger of a story of compassion, determination, key collaboration — and a zoo's courageous commitment to bring an unfortunate situation to a remarkably compelling close.
From Jungle to Shopping Mall
Wild-born in current day Zaire, Ivan and a twin sibling were sold to an American shopping center owner by an animal trader in 1964. The infants were intended to function as a draw for visitors to B & I, a department store in Tacoma, WA. The twin died soon after the young gorillas' arrival in Tacoma, but Ivan became a family favorite and was regularly allowed inside the owner's home, where he was treated as a family member. Inevitably, however, the juvenile gorilla's natural playfulness, curiosity, and innate strength proved destructive to his domestic surroundings. In 1967, Ivan was relegated to a tiny indoor home at the B & I shopping center, where for 27 years he would earn in solitary the moniker, "shopping mall gorilla."
Dedicated Partners Change the Future
B & I faced bankruptcy in 1992. By then, Ivan had already garnered the attention of the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). That year, the timely convergence of the tireless advocacy and publicity of PAWS with the department store's financial failure ensured the outcry of a now national public who clamored for a change in Ivan's circumstances. Dr. Terry Maple, then CEO of Zoo Atlanta, and David Towne, president of Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, were among the growing group of leaders who were questioning — and being questioned about — Ivan's future. Dr. Maple had long advocated against single indoor housing of these highly social animals — a view that meshed entirely with the goals of the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP), a gorilla-specific organization of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association that makes breeding, housing, and welfare recommendations for captive, endangered species in order to ensure the viability and genetic integrity of populations housed in zoos across North America.
"The work of Harlow and his students demonstrated years ago the importance of socialization in a primate's life," Dr. Maple said. "Ivan was isolated from his own kind during critical years of his development, so it is not surprising that he has become a reticent breeder."
Given the internationally publicized transition of the famed Willie B. from isolated bachelor to successfully breeding silverback in a naturalistic outdoor habitat, along with an outstanding national reputation for its gorilla groups and exhibitry, many saw Zoo Atlanta as the nation's most appropriate destination for Tacoma's beloved but confined gorilla.
"Due to its large number of female gorillas and the expertise of our staff and collaborators, Zoo Atlanta was the first choice of the AZA Gorilla SSP committee for Ivan's socialization," recalled Maple.
Nearly two more years of discussions and legal red tape were in store for Ivan's would-be rescuers, but closure seemed near in 1994 when the family of B & I's late owner donated Ivan to the Woodland Park Zoo. With the blessing of the Gorilla SSP, Woodland Park then arranged for Ivan's permanent loan to Zoo Atlanta, where the parties in question agreed that he would have the best opportunities for habitat and integration into a social group. Ivan finally made the cross–country journey to Zoo Atlanta in October of that year, along with handler staff from Tacoma who accompanied the 30–year–old gorilla to help facilitate his translocation and routine zoo quarantine period.
Ivan Steps Outside
The many players in the years-long struggle to relocate Tacoma's controversial attraction had their chance to experience the fruits of their efforts in spring 1995, when Ivan stepped into an outdoor habitat for the first time in 27 years. Later that summer, Ivan and his new group, composed of females Molly, 26; and Kuchi, 10, made their public debut on exhibit together to the great joy of a crowd of supporters and excited zoo visitors.
Dr. Maple, Zoo Atlanta Curator of Primates Charles Horton, and Senior Veterinarian Rita McManamon were encouraged and delighted when Ivan was observed mating with 14-year old Kinyani two and a half years later. There were no offspring, and to date Ivan has not mated again.
"Although he hasn't produced offspring as yet, Ivan has made great strides as a social gorilla," Maple said. "He seems content living among his own kind for the first time since he left his natal group in Africa."
Ivan's successful re-socialization was a key research focus for Center alum Dr. Kyle Burks. Observations were reported in "Managing the Socialization of an Adult Male Gorilla with a History of Social Deprivation" by Burks, Dr. Mollie Bloomsmith, Dr. Debra Forthman, and Dr. Maple. The paper was published in the journal Zoo Biology in 2001.
"Dr. Kyle Burks was my student at Georgia Tech and his early observations of Ivan were the key to understanding his needs and his idiosyncrasies," Maple explained. "His research demonstrates the great value of zoos collaborating with universities, as his labor-intensive study of Ivan produced new knowledge and new approaches to gorilla re-socialization. His pioneering work on primate introductions led to benchmark studies at Disney's Animal Kingdom on the introduction and socialization of other mammalian species. Kyle continues his collaborative research in this domain as an active fellow of the Georgia Tech Center for Conservation and Behavior."
Ivan can now be seen on exhibit with females Shamba, Kinyani, and Kashata. The open spaces, rock work, and tropical vegetation characteristic of Zoo Atlanta's internationally acclaimed Ford African Rainforest have permanently replaced the glass and concrete of his former home, with normal, day-to-day social interactions with other animals forever superseding the solitary confinement of his old life. The Pacific coast celebrity is now the silverback of a group, a symbol of zoo leadership, foresight, and cooperation; an educational ambassador for a species—shopping mall gorilla no more.