Pa. zoo gives aging gorilla a bunny companion
-
The Erie Zoo's lowland gorilla Samantha, left, shares her space with Panda, a Dutch rabbit, at the zoo in Erie, Pa. on Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Erie Times-News, Greg Wohlford) Image by Erie Times-News
Web Producer: Marissa Pasquet
ERIE, Pa. (AP) - An elderly gorilla that lives at a Pennsylvania zoo has a new companion: a bunny named Panda. The Erie Zoo's gorilla, Samantha, has been without a full-time friend since the death of Rudy, a male gorilla, in 2005.
But officials say the 47-year-old western lowland gorilla is too old to be paired with another gorilla. So they opted last month to introduce her to Panda, a Dutch rabbit, last month.
The Erie Times-News ( http://bit.ly/yu3yzd) reports Samantha and Panda get along well. Samantha will gently scratch under the bunny's chin and share her food.
Officials at the zoo say Samantha has always had a gentle personality. She was hand-raised and was more comfortable around humans even when Rudy was alive.
___
Information from: Erie Times-News, http://www.goerie.com
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.