Gorillas in Our Midst: The Story of the Columbus Zoo Gorillas

by Jeff Lyttle

Chronicles the forty-year history of the gorilla program at the Columbus Zoo, a program dedicated to the preservation of the endangered western lowland gorilla, from the first birth of a captive gorilla in 1956 to today. UP.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jeff Rausch]

this book was fantastic. I have been a steady visitor to the zoo, going as often as every week when I was able to. This brought a new understanding of Colo, her offspring, and the Columbus Zoo to me. I can't reccomend this enough.

[Patricia]

This book was published in 1997, so a lot has happened with the gorillas since then, but this book gives a good background on the evolving gorilla program at The Columbus Zoo. It shows the contrast from the early days, to the learning and improvement of the environment and development of breeding programs.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in animals, especially the history of zoos.

[Megan Kortlandt]

Okay, so this book is not for everyone. My gorillas at the Detroit Zoo were from the Columbus Zoo originally, and this author explains their lineage beautifully. It's more than family trees, though. You can tell that the author loves gorillas just as much as I do. They aren't just specimens in a zoo - they're individuals with individual personalities.

[Marie Corbitt]

This wasn't the most exciting book ever, but I wasn't really expecting it to be. That being said, it was very interesting to read about Columbus's gorillas. I never really realized how important Columbus was/is in gorilla captivity and breeding. Go us!

[TheAccidental Reader]

Good overview of the history of gorilla husbandry and care, particularly with regard to the spectacular program at Columbus Zoo.

[Karie]

I would love to see this book revised to include Colo’s legacy and continued success of the Columbus Zoo’s gorilla program.