Just watched Animal Park , I've always enjoyed this but haven't caught it for awhile. So upset to hear that Nico the gorilla has died, always my favourite on this show. It was so sad I've been in floods of tears watching it everybody so upset. It was January and he was 56 which is very old for a gorilla. He was taken from the wild when a baby then used in a sideshow of a circus , but then he came to live on the island and seemed to have a good life, liked watching the tv . R,I.P NICO..

Same here Cools I was gutted. A magnificent Gorilla ,I'm so glad Nico had many years of happiness with people who loved him after a bad start. A peaceful end .

Well I am behind on this one. I didn't know. Poor Nico, I always feel that although cared for, they will always have the wild instinct in their make-up and to live a solitary life for over 50yrs is probably not what Nico would have craved for.

I'm not sure about Longleat. They have an elephant, Anne. Another circus elephant and they will not put her with any of the other elephants even though they are social creatures. They've been begged and begged to do so, but refuse even though it was a promise they made before the money for the enclosure was raised by the public. She shares it with a coupe of goats and can hear the other elephants all the time, but never allowed to mix or see them and they won't let her go to a sanctuary.That's pretty cruel by my reckoning. Of course Anne is a celebrated elephant and her circus story captures the hearts of many, which in turn is a money spinner for Longleat.

Anne would need spectacular hearing to listen to other elephants, there aren't any other elephants at Longleat.

Longleat have done their best to see what they can do for Anne, they weren't elephant experts but they went to a lot of trouble assessing possibilities of bringing another elephant to Longleat or moving Anne to another sanctuary with elephants. They had a conference at Longleat with a large number of elephant experts across different disciplines from around the world and the decision of the group was to keep Anne solo, part of this decision was that she wasn't physically able enough for the other options.

Its easy for internet trolls to pull at peoples heart strings with simplified versions of reality (or even downright lies), unfortunately the internet being what it is perpetuates these things forever, just because its repeated in one form or another 2000 times on the internet does not make it true.

Nobody can deny that Longleat has gone to enormous lengths to accommodate Anne and her needs, they deserve praise not harassment for the incredible care of a rescue elephant.

Nico wasn't always on his own , he had a female gorilla called Samba for over 28 years I think , it's just the last few years he was on his own. He was very well loved Granny and I know what you mean he should never have been taken from the wild in an ideal world but unfortunately this it ain't... he was as Lincle said a magnificent gorilla and apparently had a lovely way about him. Samba and him were more like brother and sister so they never mated so no babies. I think he was happy on the island with his keepers who loved him and pampered him, he even had a tv he could watch , ha.

Personally I hate seeing wild animals held in captivity but it's very difficult to introduce animals back into the wild so sometimes it's the only alternative. Nico wouldn't have lived to be as old as he was in the wild & who knows what dreadful things poachers may have done to him.I think & hope he was happy on his island. I never had the privilege of seeing him but I won't forget him. The genuine sorrow of his keeper had me in tears.

I'm glad that he had a friend, Cools. I've never followed Animal Park, so as said, previously didn't know about Nico.. At least he enjoyed company of one of his own kind for some of his life. I see their faces and think that they are so close to us, and although unable to talk and go to nightclubs, how much they must suffer in captivity for all their long lives and have to agree with inkle also.

DD... what are the downright lies, and internet trolls you're talking about ? The lies I assume you relate to no elephants there. That could have been an error of judgement as there were elephants there . 5 of them were sent to France. However, it was also initially intended that Anne should have elephant companions, and if they didn't know anything about elephants or Anne before they decided to take her, then that was a bad decision. Maybe she could have had a young orphan elephant as a companion, she would probably have made a good mother with her gentle nature.
When we see how these badly treated elephants from India and other Asian countries have suffered at the hands of owners in temples, logging, giving rides and dressed up for processions with all the dreadful noise they contend with, so far as I know they all seem to settle into their new surroundings at the sanctuaries and in their own time choose their friends or maybe stay independent but they have a choice and make their own choice. Elephants never forget either.