In a world filled with things to be worried about, the gorillas of Bristol Zoo Gardens in England isn’t one of them.
The Guardian reports that headlines about the great apes being “abandoned” started to pop up in U.K. tabloids after someone broke into the zoo and filmed them looking “lonely.”
True, Bristol Zoo Gardens is closed to the public while many of its animals have moved to a new site, dubbed the Bristol Zoo Project. The gorillas, meanwhile, have stayed behind while their new habitat, which is said to be over four times larger than what the Bristol Zoo Gardens provides, is being built.
Bristol Zoological Society mammal curator Sarah Gedman refutes any characterization of the gorillas being “sad” and tells The Guardian that the primates are constantly monitored.
“If we’re happy we smile. But a smile for a gorilla is a sign of aggression,” Gedman says. “Gorillas rarely show their emotions through facial expressions. They are much more likely to convey feelings through actions, posture and body language.”
What is of concern, the zoo maintains, is that people are breaking in to supposedly “expose” the true condition of the gorillas.
“[Intruders] pose significant potential risks to the health and safety of zoo staff, and the animals that remain at the site,” says the conservation charity Born Free.
So, to sum up: no need to worry about the supposedly lonely gorillas. Unless, of course, they bury the Statue of Liberty. Then it might be time to worry.