Brian Batstone

From The Gorilla Journal

Gorilla Coco with zookeeper Brian Batstone.

"The two mountain gorillas from the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda, Coco and Pucker, arrived in the Cologne Zoo in May 1969. At that time it was a very controversial theme worldwide. Coco and Pucker were a present from the Rwandan government to the mayor of Cologne, Theo Burauen. The Cologne Zoo was the only zoo in the world at that time to display mountain gorillas. They were given as a pair to breed, unfortunately they turned out to be two females.

I was fortunate to work as a keeper with Coco and Pucker from 1973 to 1978. During the summer I took them out for walks. I remember they loved to climb the beech tree opposite the zoo directors house. On top of the tree they built themselves sleeping nests. Every time I pass this tree during my walks through the zoo today, I think of Coco and Pucker."
Brian Batstone