Cincinnati Zoo plans romance for its gorillas

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Zoo is counting on Jomo, a 14-year-old gorilla on loan from the Toronto Zoo, to revive its once-successful gorilla breeding program.
After being acclimated to his new surroundings, Jomo has been introduced to five of the zoo's resident female gorillas -- Samantha, Madgo, Muke, Mlinzi and Kweli.
The Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla breeding program was once the most successful in the United States with 47 births in 28 years. It has been stalled since 1998 because Colossus, the zoo's only male, has shown no interest.
All five of the zoo's females are proven breeders with 19 offspring among them. Jomo has no breeding record because he hasn't been around females.
To prepare Jomo for the move, the zoo's Ron Evans videotaped the gorilla exhibit and sent it to Toronto so Jomo could see his new home.
Evans then spent time with Jomo and his keepers in Toronto, and accompanied him to the Columbus Zoo for a quarantine period before finally arriving in Cincinnati.
In the wild, a silverback, or mature male, makes all his family's decisions, where it will eat and sleep, and protects his group from rival males.