Foland, Gale Richard

FOLAND

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 6/29/2019 at 18:25:36

Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, California
January 20, 1986

'We've just had the right environment and have been very, very lucky':
A Look at the Zoo's Prolific Parents
By David Smollar, Times Staff Writer

Topper the giraffe has never met Otis the orangutan. Neither has ever met Antar the oryx. None of the three has ever made the acquaintance of Missy the Grand Eclectus parrot. And the perch of Leadbeater's cockatoo No. 220-01748 would be news to all of them.

Yet all five animals have something very much in common: they each rank high in the book of Marvin Jones, registrar of births for the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. In their own way, all stand out as prolific breeders among their almost 2,000 colleagues.

Antar has fathered 93 oryxes during a six-year stretch at the Wild Animal Park. Topper's 21st offspring in 23 years is due from his longtime girlfriend Checkers next month. Otis watches with seeming bemusement as his eighth child within a decade, Karla, scampers around the orangutan exhibit.

Leadbeater's 220-01748 has seen 18 baby cockatoos hatch since he began mating five years ago after more than 30 years of unexplained celibacy. And Missy--the one female who made the list for reasons special to her species--has been a veritable nest-sitter, with 39 offspring in 10 years before deciding to take a breather last year.

All of them follow in the footsteps of the late renowned Mandhla, the southern white rhino who produced 59 baby rhinos in 15 years from his 20 female charges at the Wild Animal Park, a remarkable record so far unmatched by any other captive white rhino.

Their ability to produce large numbers of offspring bodes well for zoos worldwide to establish captive breeding colonies and reduce the number of animals that are taken from the wild.

Otis, a 300-pounder whose golden-brown hair resembles dreadnoughts, is one of the primate keepers' favorites, says handler Gale Foland.

"Plus, he's really good with (orangutan) females," Foland said. "Most of the males are semi-abusive to the females, but he is almost too tolerant."

In fact, one female orangutan, Bubbles, never responded to the enticements of previous males put into the exhibit with her. But Foland said that Otis has been able to make Bubbles an offer she has been unable to refuse. "In fact, she has had four (kids) with him."

Otis' other female companion is Jane, who is far more dominant than Bubbles, Foland said, even to the point of sometimes harassing Otis. Once, when Otis was mating with Jane, Bubbles took the opportunity to get back at her by poking Jane repeatedly with a stick.

The 17-year old Otis, a Sumatran orangutan, came to San Diego from the Fresno Zoo when he was 2 years old. Male orangutans can mate at age 7, even before they are fully mature physically, Foland said. In zoos, only one male is placed in a cage with females because the male would not tolerate competition, but keepers have no way of knowing whether an orangutan will turn out to be a good breeder. "Otis has been busy," Foland said.

Otis' offspring with Bubbles include a set of twins, but Bubbles has never shown sufficient skill in nursing her young so they have had to be raised in the zoo nursery. In contrast, Jane has proven a good nurser, especially with her latest youngster, the 3-year-old Karla.

In fact, Bubbles has gradually been learning the do's and don'ts of raising a child from Jane, and Bubbles now regularly plays with Karla, Foland said.

Otis himself is good with the babies, Foland said. "In the wild, the males will have almost nothing to do with offspring." But he said the youngsters will frequently climb onto Otis' back with no ill effects. "I'm sure the babies enjoy it more than Otis does, but still, he's a good father."

Sometime next month, the regal-looking 19-foot-tall giraffe Topper will look down on the 21st baby he has sired since coming to the zoo in 1962. The baby will be the 11th by his mate Checkers. He and Checkers, along with a third giraffe named Freckles, were all captured in Africa at the same time and brought to San Diego together. Freckles died last year after having had 10 offspring with Topper.

"Topper has been an excellent father," keeper Craig W. Racicot said. "Most male giraffes are indifferent, but for whatever reason, he's not." Topper also has been good with keepers, becoming unruly only when he senses the females are at the high point of their two-week sexual cycle.

"Giraffes have always been sexually prolific," Racicot said. "Even though they've been hunted repeatedly since at least 2500 B.C., there seems to be no way they can be exterminated, although several of the nine subspecies are close to being endangered now." Many of Topper's offspring populate zoos nationwide today and are helping contribute to a self-sustaining zoo population.

The normal giraffe gestation period is 16 months, Racicot said. The female is normally ready for mating about a month to a month and a half after giving birth. From previous matings, Racicot had estimated that Checkers would give birth early this month, but she appears to be another month away. Racicot surmises that Topper may be getting old because it took him longer to impregnate Checkers this time.

"He may not be able to do what he wants like he used to," Racicot said.

But even though the record of captive male giraffe's offspring is 28, at a zoo in Australia, no one is complaining about Topper.

Leadbeater's cockatoo No. 220-01748 may be a world-beater when it comes to captive mating, but he still doesn't have a name, keeper John Mitchell said.

"It's really hard to have intimate contact with them, so they would not respond to a name," Mitchell said. "Most birds with names at the zoo were donated from private collections whose owners had named them." The Leadbeater's species is also known as Major Mitchell's cockatoo, although keeper Mitchell claims no connection.

~ ~ ~ ~
Daily News, 1997

GORILLA DELIVERS A SHOCK WITH BABY:
SAN DIEGO ZOO SAYS ELDERLY PRIMATE TAKEN OFF BREEDING PROGRAM.
Associated Press
Alvila, an older lowland gorilla at the San Diego Zoo, played it cool right up until the end. She didn't show much interest in the troop's silverback male, Memba, and she certainly never exhibited signs of pregnancy. But Thursday, keeper Gale Foland arrived at the gorilla bedroom to see the 31-year-old grandmother cradling a baby of her own.

"The fact that she got pregnant was extremely surprising, because it's been 10 years since her last offspring,'' Foland said. "We'd kind of counted her out of the breeding program.''

Zoo officials are letting Alvila do all the mothering for now. They have not intruded to weigh or examine the newborn.

According to Foland, the baby appears to be a female of normal weight - about three pounds. But Alvila does not appear to be producing enough breast milk to sustain the newborn, Foland said.

Gorilla keepers haven't observed a breeding between Alvila and the 27-year-old Memba in two years. But because the average pregnancy term for a lowland gorilla is 255 days, officials believe they must have mated late last May. Memba and Alvila were proud parents for the first time in April 1986.

The 230-pound Alvila is considered "quite old'' to be a new mother. She has three full-grown children already, making her one of the most prolific gorilla moms in captivity.

But Alvila's family has recently made a habit of mothering, regardless of tradition.

In November, she became a surrogate mother to a 13-month-old gorilla, Imani, who had been neglected by her birth mother. Foland said Alvila holds Imani and the newborn on the same arm.

In January, Alvila's adult daughter Alberta, adopted a newborn infant who had also been neglected by her birth mother. Alberta lives at the nearby San Diego Wild Animal Park and is raising her own 10-month-old daughter, Ndjole, as well as her newly adopted baby.

Lowland gorillas are an endangered species native to western Africa. There are only about 6,000 lowland gorillas left in the wild, their numbers declining from habitat loss and poaching. About 800 gorillas are in captivity worldwide with nearly 300 in North American zoos.

Nine gorillas now live in the San Diego Zoo's troop. An additional 12, including Alberta, live at the Wild Animal Park. In June 1965, Alvila became the first gorilla born at the San Diego Zoo. She was only the seventh born in captivity.

~ ~ ~ ~
Excerpt from "More Than Finger Food", by Ann Weaver, May 16, 2007

Most of us know animals from pets at home or going to the zoo. Unnecessarily but customarily, zoos exhibit animals in small groups. You see one or two elephants or a trio of monkeys. These small numbers make it hard to see that each animal is distinct like each person is distinct. When you learn a species’ physical Gestält, you see animals as the individuals they are. It’s a real kick when you no longer see ‘a monkey’ but instead see Drella the capuchin or Golda the bonnet macaque like you see Mike at work. I’ll never forget when San Diego Zoo gorilla keeper Gale Foland got a birthday card with a gorilla on it … and he recognized that gorilla.

~ ~ ~ ~
Excerpt from "Our Inner Ape" by Frans De Waal, 2005

MAMA’S BOYS
Not too long ago, I spent a typical day at the San Diego Zoo with two old friends, Gale Foland and Mike Hammond, both veteran ape keepers. This is not a job for everyone. It’s impossible to deal with the needs and reactions of apes without tapping the same emotional reservoir we use to deal with fellow human beings. Keepers who fail to take apes seriously will never get along with them, and those who take them too seriously will succumb to the web of intrigues, provocations, and emotional blackmail that suffuses every ape group.

In an area away from the public, we leaned over a balustrade looking down on a spacious, grassy enclosure. The air carried the unique pungent smell of gorillas. Earlier this morning, Gale had introduced a five-year-old female named Azizi, whom he had raised himself, to the enclosure. Azizi found herself in a group with a new male, Paul Donn, a gargantuan character who is leaning against the wall. Occasionally, he charges around the enclosure, beating his chest, to impress upon the gathering of females that he is in control, or at least would like to be.

Female gorillas, especially the older ones, tend to disagree: they sometimes band together to chase him around “to keep him in line,” as Gale says. But for the moment Paul Donn is calm, and we see Azizi shuffle closer and closer toward him. The male acts as if he fails to notice, tactfully inspecting his toes and never looking straight at the nervous gorilla girl. Each time Azizi gets a little bit nearer, she glances up at Gale, her adoptive parent. She locks her eyes into his. Gale nods and says such things as “Go on, don’t be scared.” This is easy for him to say: Paul Donn is probably five times Azizi’s weight, all of it muscles. But Azizi is irresistibly attracted.

These gorillas are known for their intelligence. Gorillas are not supposed to use tools: in the wild they never do. But three gorillas at the zoo have found a new way to get at the tasty leaves of the fig trees. They are prevented from climbing the trees by hot wire, but get around this by picking up one of the many branches lying around, standing up on two legs and flinging it into a tree. The branch usually comes back down with some of the foliage. One female was seen breaking a long stick in two and using the more suitable piece—an important step, as it showed that gorillas are capable of modifying their tools.

Today, an incident takes place involving the same hot wire. It’s the sort of scene that catches my eye. One older resident female has learned to reach under the wire without getting shocked to feed on weeds that grow beyond the wire. Right next to her sits a new female, who, Gale tells me, has just recently been shocked for the first time.

It was a nasty experience for her, resulting in screaming and frantic handshaking. The new female has befriended the other and now sits watching her do exactly what had caused her so much pain. As soon as she sees her friend reach under the wire, she jumps behind her and starts pulling at her. She wraps an arm around her middle and tries to move her away from the electric fence. But her older friend doesn’t budge; instead, she continues to reach. After some time, the new female sits back, watching intently, while wrapping both of her arms tightly around herself. She seems to be bracing herself for the shock she believes the other will get. “Changing places in fancy” indeed.

Transcriber's Note: Gale is the son of Richard Franklin and Marjorie Jean (Catuska) Foland; grandson of Elden Neal "Johnny" and Ruby Estella (Baker) Foland; great grandson of Benjamin "Frank" and Teresa Ann (Young) Foland; great-great grandson of Christian "Chris" and Lucinda (Edward) Foland; great-great-great grandson of Michael and Elizabeth (Sowerwine) Foland & Anderson and Arminia (Ramsey) Edwards.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, February of 2018