Was Polo castrated?

MYSORE: Whether or not country's lonely gorilla of Mysore zoo, for whom the authorities frantically tried to find a companion or partner, was castrated before he was handed over to Mysore zoo is a question that remains unanswered.

Polo, 43, a western lowland gorilla, an endangered species was the only representative of his species in India. He lived with Sumathi, before her death in 2000. Since then, zoo authorities were looking for a suitable female gorilla to partner with Polo to continue his progeny.

Though search proved a failure, a zoo official ,couple of years ago, revealed that Polo would not be able to mate with the new partner as he had no reproductive organs.

According to this official Polo's genitals appear to have been removed before he was shipped to India. Attendants who bathed the gorilla had mentioned to the higher ups the lack of genital in Polo and his failure to impregnate Sumathi even once though despite both being in the prime of their life and health. Even the officials then who failed to witness any aggressive sexual behaviours of Polo with Sumathi had revealed to this paper that Polo simply lies on Sumathi when they were allowed to mate. Zoo authorities then who saw any arousals on the part of Polo had even showed the films of other Gorillas mating and porno films to arouse his sexual desires and mate with Sumathi. Irony was Polo was selected as Sumathi's partner because he had a record of fathering many baby gorillas in Dublin zoo.

However, the authorities who denied the castration story and claimed that they were looking for the partner then were on Sunday said to be discussing the issue at a closed door meeting held at Mysore zoo earlier. Zoo sources disclosed to Times Of India that the remnant of the Polo's testicles which were very small in size have been sent for biopsy to a research institute at Bangalore to find out whether they were "active or not".

Usually the gorillas have a life span of 40 to 45 years in natural habitats , they live till the age of 55 to 60 in captivity.