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July 2012
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"All of us at the Dewar Wildlife Trust are devastated by the passing of Joe. He was greatly admired and loved by all those who came in contact with him, and everyone who was privileged to meet him face to face will always remember him." He enjoyed the tour visitors and especially young children who seemed to provide an endless source of fascination" said C. E. Steuart Dewar of the Dewar Wildlife Trust Born in the wild in Cameroon in 1963, Joe was the third oldest western lowland male gorilla living in a zoological setting, although we believe he may have briefly (for a week!) qualified as the second oldest male. In 1966, Joe became a resident of the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Ala., where he lived for the next 20 years. Although housed with females at the Birmingham Zoo and later the Denver Zoo in Denver, Colo., and the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, Joe never sired any offspring. In 2003, he moved to our facility at Dewar Wildlife in Morganton, Georgia. We are grateful to our supporters, tour visitors and the Atlanta and Birmingham Zoos which helped us provide Joe with the rich surroundings of Dewar Wildlife for the last decade of his life. Joe had become a special figure to many people in Georgia over the past decade and he will be missed by all who knew and cared about him. If you would like to share your thoughts or feelings about Joe, or have photographs you took on a tour, etc. - please visit our Facebook page and comment there so you can share them with everyone else for whom Joe was so important - Thanks! |
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Joe
died at Dewar Wildlife in Morganton, Georgia on Tuesday, July 31,
2012. Dewar Wildlife’s Francis Cipullo, DVM, in conjunction with Zoo
Atlanta's Veterinary team made the difficult decision to euthanize Joe
at the conclusion of an emergency immobilization following a recent
marked decline in his health along with ongoing chronic health
conditions that included advanced periodontal and cardiac disease.March, 2012
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Willie B. Jr. and Jasiri settle into their new Mountain Home! |
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Happy Birthday, Joe! The end of March is Joe's turn to be in the limelight - at 49, the third oldest male gorilla whose age is known. Guests on the March 31st tour had a special treat to see Joe's reaction to his birthday "Cake" (water-melon, celery for candles with strawberries for the flame). |
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Willie B. Jr. (Kidogo) |
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February2012
Join the DWT in Welcoming its New Residents!
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Willie B. Jr. (Kidogo - Father: Willie B., Mother: Machi) |
Jasiri (Father: Ozoum, mother: Katoomba) |
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We are especially grateful to Zoo Atlanta for their expression of confidence in working with the DWT to house two of their gorillas, especially with Willie B. Jr. being the only son of Atlanta's famous resident gorilla. Overseeing their care and the facility is Zoo Atlanta's Charles Horton, who personally took care of Willie B. for so many years. It's certainly a wonderful set of circumstances that have resulted in Charles now being associated with both Zoo Atlanta and the DWT where in addition to looking after Joe, he can oversee Willie B.'s son and Jasiri as they spend their active teenage years in the large DWT facility in the North Georgia mountains. |
And how is Joe taking all of this? Joe
seems to be aware of some new activity in the facility, but since Willie
B. Jr and Jasiri are at opposite ends of the huge 8.5 acre habitat from
Joe, they are hardly close enough to invoke much attention from DWT's
long-time resident, who is now only weeks away from his 49th birthday.
December, 2011
Where are Oliver's Goats? Answer: They went to school!
While Oliver was at the DWT, he had two goats in the habitat to keep him company (see Videos). Originally named Briggs & Stratton in the misplaced optimism of thinking they would keep the grass "mowed" (oops... Oliver's food was a lot more tasty!) - they were then referred to as Mama and Baby. When Oliver left, the two goats stayed in his habitat, but with no immediate further company, it was obviously time to find them a new home.
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So the goats left in December to join some other animals
on the grounds of a School in South Carolina,
Whetstone Academy and reassumed
their original names of Briggs & Stratton (especially since "Baby" is now
much larger than "Mama"!).
Transportation from Dewar Wildlife to the School was under the careful watch of Charles Horton (photo left) who delivered them in person and took care of health certificates and other transport requirements. They have become an instant hit with the students and get lots of love and attention from them, not to mention spending time with the donkeys, chickens and other farm critters. |
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as a related facility
The DWT is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporation
Mission
Statement
© 2011, Dewar Wildlife Trust, Inc. All Rights Reserved - no material can be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the DWT