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Does anyone know if there have ever been any 'wild' Gorillas ever reported in the US?
It would have to be an escapee from a zoo. The United States' climate and ecology could not support gorillas. Too cold and not enough food in most places.
It would have to be an escapee from a zoo. The United States' climate and ecology could not support gorillas. Too cold and not enough food in most places.
Plenty of deer year round, Im not sure whether Gorillas could come to tolerate the cold over a long period of time?
I know in my neck of the woods, there used to be traveling circuses that came thru town every year, I could see some of these having gorillas that may have escaped and eventually learned to live in the area.
Plenty of deer year round, Im not sure whether Gorillas could come to tolerate the cold over a long period of time?
I know in my neck of the woods, there used to be traveling circuses that came thru town every year, I could see some of these having gorillas that may have escaped and eventually learned to live in the area.
Does anyone know if there have ever been any 'wild' Gorillas ever reported in the US?
I have a feeling if someone was out in a rural or heavily forested area, and encountered a 'wild Gorilla'...it would very easy to mistake it for a Bigfoot.
Orangutans and chimpanzees in Florida (feral, escaped from captivity), but as far as I know no gorillas. Some suggest there may actually be a breeding population of chimps in FL - and that might be the source of the skunk ape reports down there. It's been suggested the well-known Myakka skunk ape photo in particular represents a feral orangutan, but it looks more like a mature male chimp to me.
It would have to be an escapee from a zoo. The United States' climate and ecology could not support gorillas. Too cold and not enough food in most places.
I suspect Florida's about the only state where gorillas could make a living. They're tropical/subtropical animals.
I suspect Florida's about the only state where gorillas could make a living. They're tropical/subtropical animals.
Some people have speculated that the richer drug dealers could have private zoos with their money to burn. If they were caught they might give orders to release their animals and that could account for temporary sightings of exotic beast.
Here is a case in Ohio where a zoo owner that fell on hard times released his animals before committing suicide: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-himself.html. They killed or captured most of them except for one macaque monkey and I presume they caught up with it by this time.
Does anyone know if there have ever been any 'wild' Gorillas ever reported in the US?
I have a feeling if someone was out in a rural or heavily forested area, and encountered a 'wild Gorilla'...it would very easy to mistake it for a Bigfoot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rstevens62
Plenty of deer year round, Im not sure whether Gorillas could come to tolerate the cold over a long period of time?
I know in my neck of the woods, there used to be traveling circuses that came thru town every year, I could see some of these having gorillas that may have escaped and eventually learned to live in the area.
I have no idea what the rules are on gorillas. Weirdly buying a lion or tiger is super easy. My aunts husbands brother had a HUGE male lion for a few years. He got it as a baby and lived a few blocks from me. Luckily the thing never got out before he got rid of it.
I have no idea what the rules are on gorillas. Weirdly buying a lion or tiger is super easy. My aunts husbands brother had a HUGE male lion for a few years. He got it as a baby and lived a few blocks from me. Luckily the thing never got out before he got rid of it.
Fisheye wrote: "...Some people have speculated that the richer drug dealers could have private zoos with their money to burn...."
There's a market for exotic pets - and those like drug dealers who have a lot of money to burn would have no qualms about buying a poached gorilla or two and smuggling it into the country.
Anything goes in Florida.
No doubt in my mind whatsoever that there are primates running loose and possibly breeding.
I'm doubtful about a breeding population because you would need multiple individuals of the same breed and of both sexes and able to, and willing to, uh, "hook up".
But yeah, 100% there are some escaped or intentionally released primates running around.
Fisheye wrote: "...Some people have speculated that the richer drug dealers could have private zoos with their money to burn...."
There's a market for exotic pets - and those like drug dealers who have a lot of money to burn would have no qualms about buying a poached gorilla or two and smuggling it into the country.
The only problem with the 'wild gorilla' theory...if a human happened to accidentally walk onto the gorillas territory, it would respond with violence, (most bigfoot encounters, the creature is docile and just walks or runs away), a wild gorilla would not do that if a human was on its territory, they are extremely territorial.
Plus, gorillas do not really have long legs or 'big feet' either.
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