Prince Philip opens gorilla 'Love Island'

The Duke of Edinburgh is opening the new Gorilla Kingdom at London Zoo today.

Keepers are hoping that the revamped habitat, which has been described as the "Love Island", will encourage a little romance among the gorillas.

Effie, a 14-year-old female who recently arrived at London Zoo from Germany, has been brought in to breed with resident male Bongo Junior, 23, who has never fathered any offspring. Zaire, 33, the enclosure's third resident, is also female, but no longer fertile.

Prince Philip is touring the £5 million enclosure and observing the gorillas settling in. The habitat measures 6,500 square metres and includes caves, waterfalls, heated rocks and an indoor day gym.

The Duke and other visitors are separated from the gorillas by a huge moat and, at one point, by a sheet of glass, which the animals can approach.

Jo Cook, one of the gorilla keepers, said: "The gorillas are so reactive to strangers, particularly the males. If they see someone they don't like the look of, they tend to get wound up.

"They're amazingly gentle animals but because of their size they can be extremely dangerous."