Where are the gorillas?
The gorillas’ naturalistic exhibits have areas where they can remove themselves from public viewing if they want or need privacy.

Why do gorillas regurgitate and reingest food?

Short answer: If something tastes good once, it tastes good twice and so on.

Long Answer: Although not seen in wild gorillas, regurgitation and reingestion (r & r) of food is common in zoos. It doesn’t cause any medical problems, and it isn’t a sign of poor health. In the wild, gorillas eat large quantities of high-fiber, relatively low-calorie foods such as fruits, leaves, herbs and bark, which are difficult to duplicate in zoos. Wild gorillas eat 40-70 pounds (18-32 kg) of food each day, and spend an average 55% of the day eating. Wild gorillas must eat great deals of food each day because they continuously exercise, and they carry a heavy parasite load. Because zoo diets are more nutritious (concentrated), the amount of food in a zoo diet is less. Due to this, zoo gorillas may still “feel” hungry and develop the habit of re-eating their food. R & r has never been observed in the wild. Though all our gorillas do some r & r, it is infrequent except in the case of Amanda. WPZ and other zoos are working to provide zoo gorillas with more food like their natural diet. Zookeepers call this food “browse,” and it includes cut branches and herbaceous vegetation. Browse, hay and food puzzles are just some of the ways in which keepers try to discourage r & r.

Why do some of the gorillas eat their feces?
Eating feces occurs in the wild and often occurs at a more frequent rate in zoos. Ingestion of feces is thought to have nutritive value. For example, ingested feces may help in the utilization of B vitamins that are manufactured in the lower gut. Beneficial bacteria that aid digestion are also replenished. Excessive feces-eating in zoos occurs, most likely, for the same reasons as regurgitation and reingestion.