Treatment of acute selfaggressive behaviour in a captive gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Abstract

SELF-AGGRESSIVE behaviour is a serious and common problem in non-human primates kept in laboratory facilities and zoos (Reinhardt and Rossell 2001), particularly in highly intelligent Old World primates (Dickie 1998). The aetiology appears to be multifactorial, but it occurs frequently as a reaction to a distressing situation such as a new arrival, separation, isolation or husbandry changes (Dickie 1998). This short communication describes the treatment of acute selfaggressive behaviour in a captive western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). A 16-year-old female western lowland gorilla presented with an acute onset of anorexia, depression, vomiting and diarrhoea. Faecal culture showed a heavy growth of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritides. To administer treatment, it was necessary to separate the animal from its group, including its four-year-old cub, and to use a remote delivery injection system daily for 12 days. After 10 days of treatment, when the initial condition was