Massive Algae Mats Become The Ultimate Gorilla Toy

From my visit this week (May 2026) , I am revisiting the Bristol Zoo gorillas. I'm glad to report the trees do still look fine right now😄. After the last time, I thought there wouldn't be a lot left after the troop broke as many branches as they could and ate lots of the flower tree buds and the leaves! This was a very hot day I visited, and it was only in the morning they were outdoors. Look at all the flowers, and the Island is now in full bloom, it looked fantastic with all sorts of different wild plants for the gorillas to explore. Of course, when the zoo opened, the first thing I saw was Hasani in the water. He absolutely loves dipping in his feet. You might ask, can gorillas swim? No, gorillas can't swim because of their dense muscles. They do, however, like to wade in it and sometimes use sticks to see how deep the water is. I explained a little in the caption about the algae, but here is some more. Algae is a natural occurrence called filamentous algae. I was quite surprised in its texture to be honest, but apparently, it does make good tactile enrichment. As most of you know, Gorillas are highly intelligent and curious animals. Pulling a massive, heavy, stretchy sheet of slime out of the water is highly satisfying and serves as a form of natural sensory play. In the wild, gorillas spend hours peeling bark, unrolling vines, and pulling apart dense vegetation to look for food. Pulling up mats of algae mimics that natural desire to strip and dismantle things with their hands. They will rarely eat it, but they love to examine it, smell it, compress it into balls, or simply toss it around like Hasani does. Let me know if you do enjoy seeing the Bristol troop? Always good to see your honest feedback so I know what to film more of. ℹ️ There is some news too. Although Afia wasn't in this video. She will be in the next video next Friday. This visit was the last time I saw her, as she will soon be moved to UK's Jersey Zoo. #gorillas #bristolzoo #animalbehaviour 🛖 Shorts have a new home @SloggerVloggerShorts 🚀 Subscribe now for regular updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/SloggerVlogger?sub_confirmation=1 🦧🦍Unlock full video access for less than a coffee! Join the channels membership today! https://youtube.com/@SloggerVlogger/join Exclusive perks, including: 🦧🦍 Special badges to show your support 🦧🦍 Early access to videos 🦧🦍 Members-only content 🦧🦍 Fun, custom emojis Due to background noise from human activity, the original audio has been mixed with natural bird songs for a more peaceful viewing experience. Where possible, I will keep the natural sound intact.