- Four Western lowland gorillas, N’akouh, Nukta, N’kato and Madiba, arrived in Nanjing from the Netherlands after a 10.5-hour flight.
- The gorillas, accompanied by Dutch keepers, underwent quarantine and now reside in Hongshan Forest Zoo’s African Rainforest Pavilion.
- They receive 40kg of fresh vegetables daily, plus leaves and primate pellets, ensuring balanced nutrition in their new home.
- The transfer, facilitated by EAZA, followed a decade of preparation, including training and facility upgrades at Hongshan Zoo.
Gorillas in captivity in our world today number only in the hundreds. Hence, four of them arriving in Nanjing and destined for our local Zoo is a big deal. Say hello to N’akouh, Nukta, N’kato and Madiba, fresh from the Netherlands!
当今世界圈养的大猩猩数量只有数百只。因此，其中四只抵达南京并前往我们当地的动物园是一件大事。向来自荷兰的 N’akouh、Nukta、N’kato 和 Madiba 打个招呼！
It’s been fully 10 years in the making; a decade of preparation which came to a successful conclusion recently as the four Western lowland gorillas were cleared to leave their quarantine quarters at Hongshan Forest Zoo.
它的制作已经整整10年了；长达十年的准备工作于近日圆满结束，四只西部低地大猩猩获准离开红山森林动物园的隔离区。
They had survived a 10.5-hour, 8,700-kilometre flight, having left their adopted home of the Royal Burger’s Zoo in Arnhem and taken off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at 16:30 on 8 February. It was the first time the gorillas, and they are four brothers by the way, had set foot on a plane.
他们在 10.5 小时、8,700 公里的飞行中幸存下来，离开了他们的第二故乡阿纳姆皇家汉堡动物园，并于 2 月 8 日 16:30 从阿姆斯特丹史基浦机场起飞。这是大猩猩第一次踏上飞机，顺便说一句，它们是四兄弟。
In order to give them a smooth and comfortable flight, four customised-transport boxes had become their temporary home, while N’akouh, Nukta, N’kato and Madiba were accompanied by the two humans with whom they were most familiar, Dutch keepers Jord and Nick.
为了让它们能够顺利舒适地飞行，四个定制的运输箱成为了它们的临时住所，而纳库、努克塔、恩卡托和马迪巴则由它们最熟悉的两个人类荷兰饲养员乔德和尼克陪伴着。
With a smooth landing at Nanjing Lukou International Airport on the morning of 9 February, all relevant authorities worked closely together to complete the brothers’ transfer via two constant-temperature transports as quickly as possible. By 13:40, the four gorillas were safe in an isolation area at Hongshan Forest Zoo.
2月9日上午顺利降落南京禄口国际机场，各有关部门密切配合，以最快的速度完成了兄弟俩通过两趟恒温运输工具的转机。 13时40分，四只大猩猩已安全抵达红山森林动物园的隔离区。
Jord and Nick remained in Nanjing for 2 weeks to keep an eye on the gorillas who had been in their care since the brothers’ childhood. Then they were to return home, satisfied that the four gorillas had, among other things, enough to eat in their new Chinese home.
乔德和尼克在南京停留了两周，以照顾兄弟俩从小就开始照顾的大猩猩。然后他们就回家了，对这四只大猩猩在中国的新家有足够的食物感到满意。
“We have arranged 40 kilograms of fresh vegetables per day, comprising 22 kinds of vegetables each week for the four gorillas, including leafy vegetables such as lettuce, baby cabbage and Shanghai greens, root vegetables such as carrots and purple sweet potatoes, plus celery, onions, broccoli and much more”, a local keeper commented when speaking with Nanjing Daily. In addition, the brothers receive a sufficient amount of fresh leaves, such as Ligustrum lucidum, banana, bamboo leaves and primate pellets daily to ensure their balanced nutrition.
“我们每天为四只大猩猩安排了40公斤新鲜蔬菜，每周22种蔬菜，包括生菜、小白菜、上海青菜等叶类蔬菜，胡萝卜、紫薯等根类蔬菜，还有芹菜、洋葱、西兰花等。”当地饲养员在接受《南京日报》采访时表示。此外，兄弟俩每天都会收到足够的新鲜叶子，如女贞子、香蕉、竹叶、灵长类颗粒等，以保证营养均衡。
N’akouh, Nukta, N’kato and Madiba are said to be enjoying their food in Nanjing, while keepers have also switched from using English for behavioural training to trying to communicate with the four in Chinese. The brothers are increasingly trusting their keepers; cautious at the beginning to now being more relaxed and comfortable.
据说，N’akouh、Nukta、N’kato 和 Madiba 正在南京享受美食，饲养员也从使用英语进行行为训练，改为尝试用中文与四人交流。兄弟俩越来越信任他们的饲养员。从一开始的谨慎，到现在的更加轻松自在。
Their transfer to Nanjing had come by way of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), according to the gorilla population management and individual transfer plan under the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
根据欧洲濒危物种计划（EEP）下的大猩猩种群管理和个体转移计划，它们是通过欧洲动物园和水族馆协会（EAZA）转移到南京的。
It was a development dating back to 2014, when Hongshan Forest Zoo began to explore the possibility of introducing gorillas. In 2019, the Gorilla Population Management Committee of EAZA sent a letter to confirm that it had agreed to officially list the Zoo as a member of its global gorilla population management.
这一进展可以追溯到2014年，当时红山森林动物园开始探索引进大猩猩的可能性。 2019年，EAZA大猩猩种群管理委员会致函确认，已同意正式将动物园列为其全球大猩猩种群管理成员。
In the following years, European experts regularly visited Nanjing for in-depth discussions and to conduct systematic training for the Hongshan team. Then by way of exchange, as recently as last December, Hongshan Forest Zoo sent three professional and technical backbone staff to Burger’s Zoo for further training.
此后几年，欧洲专家定期来南京进行深入研讨，并对红山团队进行系统培训。然后通过交流的方式，就在去年12月，红山森林动物园还派出3名专业技术骨干人员到伯格动物园进行进一步培训。
The new home for the brothers is located in the Zoo’s African Rainforest Pavilion, which took 7 years to build, over an area of more than 7,000 square metres. The Pavilion simulates an African rainforest environment, with pools, rich vegetation and perches, plus much more, giving N’akouh, Nukta, N’kato and Madiba a feeling of home.
兄弟俩的新家位于动物园的非洲雨林馆，该馆历时7年建成，面积7000多平方米。展馆模拟非洲热带雨林环境，拥有水池、丰富的植被和栖息地等，给 N’akouh、Nukta、N’kato 和 Madiba 一种宾至如归的感觉。
