Member's book reveals exclusive story about National Zoo

Gorillas were one of the most sought-after species to exhibit for zoo communities and one of the most challenging to keep in captivity because not enough was known about how to raise them, National Press Club member Kara Arundel told a Book Rap on Thursday.

The story of how a decades-old struggle by the Smithsonian's National Zoo to showcase gorillas and breed them in captivity met with a promising end had been unknown. In her book, Raising America's Zoo. How Two Wild Gorillas Helped Transform D.C.'s National Zoo, Arundel tells the compelling history that eventually helped 'America's Zoo' to lead the animal-[conservation movement.

The year was 1955 when a 27-year-old former Marine walked off a Sabena Airline DC-6 with a baby gorilla in a diaper under each arm. Arthur "Nick" Arundel, the surrogate parent to the two orphaned apes, 14-month old Nikumba, and 20-month old Moka, escorted them out of the Congo, and donated them to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Congress had created the National Zoo in 1889, reserving nearly 200 acres in the Rock Creek Valley, with a "basic mission to save American species threatened by extinction." But most of the buildings were poorly constructed or falling apart. Animals were dying, budget fights between the Congress and the District of Columbia left it underfunded, and zoos across the country competing with one another left them generally unsafe for people and animals.

Kara Arundel, who spent four years compiling the story of the National Zoo from its opening on April 30, 1891, based her research on the private trove of documents from her father-in-law Nick, and thousands more preserved by the zoo through the Smithsonian Institution Archives. The passage of laws to protect gorillas, the heartbreak and triumphs of these first generation zoo gorillas, and the curators and caretakers who worked tirelessly caring for them, gradually brought valuable lessons regarding the science, understanding and compassion needed regarding animal care.         

While Nick Arundel "dedicated his time, money and energy to improving the National Zoo and protecting future generations of wild African animals," Nikumba and Moka, who were never separated, spent the rest of their lives together producing the fourth and fifth gorillas born in captivity. Moka died in 1969 at 16 years old, Nikumba in 1990, at 37. Nick Arundel garnered financial support for the renovation of the gorilla's outdoor play yard that included a plaque in both their names. 

Raising America's Zoo, which begins with a nation falling in love with two baby gorillas, tells how the National Zoo became an animal conservation model for the world. It then expands into a larger story about the gorillas' legacy in relation to the current captive-gorilla population in North America and the threat of extinction due to disease and poaching, making the mission of zoo communities more  important than ever.

The author was joined at the Books Rap by Karie Kirkpatrick, of ZooHistories.com  who shared stories of other prominent animals in the National Zoo including Smoky the bear, Ham the space monkey and a white tiger named Mohinie.

The program, followed by a book signing, was introduced by Mike Curley, a Club member who presented his latest novel, The Calypso Virus, at a Nov. 20 Book Rap.

Both Book Raps are part of a series hosted by the Book and Author Group to highlight books written by members. For more information about the Group or if you a Club member and author, please contact Joe Motheral at [email protected].