What about humans?Īnother study indicates that the situation is not different for humans. For example, the diet of ARTIS gorillas has already been adjusted to include fiber-rich willow branches in addition to their regular food. This research provides valuable insights into the impact of zoo life on animals.

However, fiber-digesting fungi like Neocallimastigomycetes were still present in the intestines of ARTIS gorillas, despite the dietary change. The study revealed that zoo gorillas had far fewer bacteria of the genus Olsenella, which are specialized in fiber digestion. These fatty acids not only serve as a vital source of energy but also offer numerous health benefits, including their anti-inflammatory effects and their role in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. What's remarkable about fiber is that it reaches the large intestine intact and is converted into short-chain fatty acids by our gut bacteria. Gorillas, in particular, rely heavily on their gut microbiome to digest fiber-rich plants. Every human, and similarly every gorilla, has a gut microbiome specialized in digesting their specific diet. Part of what you eat also serves as food for the microbes in your intestines. This difference can be attributed to the fact that wild gorillas often have a fiber-rich diet, whereas zoo gorillas consume more oligosaccharides (simple sugars). There was indeed a difference in the microbial composition between wild gorillas and zoo gorillas. Through various analyses, they identified the specific gut bacteria, fungi, and viruses present in the feces. Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam examined the feces of gorillas living in ARTIS and compared it to that of wild gorillas.

Gorilla bubble gut