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Mountain Gorilla Survival Appeal
Latest News
April 2008
Titus: "The Gorilla King"
DFGFI Field
News
Silverback Titus is one of the oldest
mountain gorillas we study from our Karisoke Research Center, and
has been observed closely throughout his entire life. He was born in
August 1974, and first noticed by researcher Kelly Stewart, who was
working with Dian Fossey at Karisoke at the time. Unfortunately,
Titus faced numerous upheavals as a youngster, including the loss of
significant family members to poachers and the subsequent
disintegration of his natal group.
Following these losses, Titus became part of an all-male group, at
just age 5. Eventually the group attracted some females, and after
the dominant silverback of the time (named Beetsme) began to age,
Titus eventually took over leadership and successfully sired
numerous offspring. Now, Titus himself is quite elderly, has faced
his own leadership challenges, and has seen his group start to
dwindle. In fact, his son, Kuryama, has taken a part of the group
and moved on as his own leader.
This unusual and well-documented life is the subject of a new
television special called “The
Gorilla King” which will air nationally on PBS stations on April
20, as part of Thirteen/WNET New York’s NATURE series. The
documentary was made by U.K-based Tigress Productions and will also
air later in the year on the BBC network. The high-definition
cameras used by Tigress have created very vivid and detailed
footage, capturing some amazing moments of gorilla life.
“The Gorilla King” features current Karisoke staffers Veronica
Vecellio (who writes many of our Gorilla eNews updates) and Felix
Ndagijimana, as well as numerous scientists who observed Titus in
his earlier years. Many other Karisoke and Fossey Fund staff also
helped in all aspects of the film, including the research and
filming.
The story of Titus is really “an epic soap opera,” says Fred
Kaufman, executive producer of the NATURE series. “Titus gives us
the opportunity to present something more than just the behavior of
an anonymous group of animals. Here we have the other layer of the
story, the background, the social structure, the politics. It’s rare
to be able to get this kind of rich history,” Kaufman says.
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