Gorilla Love Island -

- Rained off!

Yesterday Prince Philip opened the new gorilla enclosure at London Zoo. The Zoo's existing gorillas - 33-year-old Zaire, now beyond her breeding years, and Bobby, the 24-year-old silverback, have returned from their extended vacation at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park to their new state-of-the-art enclosure. They are being joined by a 14-year-old female from Germany, who is still only on nodding terms with the others through the wire. It is hoped that she will mate with Bobby and do her bit for the endangered species breeding programme.

Unfortunately, the cold, wet weather meant that no gorilla ventured outside today, though they kept checking to see if the weather might have changed.

Bobby (official name is I think Bongo Junior) does not look amused by the fact that his new outside quarters are unenticing today. He was a circus animal, kept in too small a cage, and his legs have not grown to match the size of his head and body.

Zaire has a belly that shows how obsessed she is with food. She is the daughter of a male silverback at Jersey Zoo who gently kept watch over an unconscious small child who was injured when he fell into the gorilla enclosure.