And according to his keepers he is very active and occasionally enjoys teasing the adult gorillas.
“We’re thrilled with Namoki’s progress,” says Lynsey Bugg, primate keeper at the zoo. “He may be small in stature but he has become such a big personality on Gorilla Island. At one year old, he is becoming increasingly independent and can often be seen scooting around the enclosure on his own, climbing up ropes and trying to initiate play with one of the adults.
 | | Namoki weighed only 2lbs when born |
"He is very quick to go back to mum Romina, however, if there is something he is not sure about. She still carries him around on her back or arm. "He nibbles on all the food she is given and juicy fruits are particular favourites. He has developed a fine set of teeth but will not be weaned until he is about two years old. "He enjoys playing with all the adults but especially his dad, Jock, who is amazingly tolerant. It is heart warming to hear Namoki in fits of giggles when Jock is tickling him.” Born blind Namoki’s mum, Romina, was born blind and underwent the first ever cataract operation on an adult gorilla in Europe in 2002. Keepers say she has taken to motherhood extremely well and the regaining of her sight has meant that she can keep track of her cheeky and playful son.
 | | Juicy fruits are Namoki's favourites |
Romina was hand-reared at Rome Zoo before arriving in Bristol in 2001 as part of an international breeding programme. Western lowland gorillas are under threat in the swampy jungles of their native West Africa because of hunting by man and loss of their habitat. Bristol Zoo has been working with the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund and the Cameroonian government to create a centre for the care of lowland gorillas and chimpanzees orphaned by the bushmeat trade, in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Here, local people are being helped through education programmes to understand the best ways to safeguard their wildlife and their future. | 
