Lidl

Lidl is also said to use aggressive strategies against their suppliers to enforce low prices. Great apes are endowed with a semi-precision grip, and have been able to use both simple tools and even weapons, such as improvising a club from a convenient fallen branch. The German trade union Ver.di has taken Lidl to task for its supposed bad labour practices. In September of 2005, a two and a half year old gorilla in the Republic of Congo was discovered using rocks to smash open palm nuts. Lidl faces allegations about unpaid overtime, low wages and management by threats. [2]. Lidl has received critical attention in Germany over their treatment of workers, with trade unionists said to be blacklisted (refusal to employ union members). This means that all of the great apes are now known to use tools.

. A second female was seen using a tree stump as a bridge and also as a support whilst fishing in the swamp. Lidl is the fifth largest supermarket chain in Germany (2004), and has established itself in over 17 countries around the world. A female gorilla in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo was recorded using a stick to gauge the depth of water whilst crossing a swamp. In the 1970s the first Lidl stores of today's incarnation opened. Gorillas are now known to use tools in the wild. It was founded in the 1930s by a member of the Schwarz family, then called Schwarz Lebensmittel-Sortimentsgroßhandlung. The following observations were made by a team led by Thomas Breuer of the Wildlife Conservation Society in September 2005.

It belongs to the holding group Schwarz, which also owns the store chains Handelshof and Kaufland. A few individuals in captivity, such as Koko, have been taught a subset of sign language (see animal language for a discussion). The full name of the company is Lidl Stiftung & Co KG. Gorillas are closely related to humans and are considered highly intelligent. In Germany it is the most important competitor of Aldi. If he is killed by disease, accident, fighting or poachers, the group will split up or be taken over in its entirety by a male descendant or even an unrelated male; there is a strong risk that a new male may kill the infants of the dead silverback. Lidl (either leed-ul as pronounced in recently-launched British TV commercials, or lid-ul) is a European discount supermarket chain of German origin that operates 5,000 stores. If challenged by a younger or even by an outsider male, a silverback will scream, beat his chest, shake broken-off branches at the intruder, bare his teeth then charge forward.

Kwiksave (UK only). While infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for 3–4 years, silverbacks will care for weaned young orphans. Netto (1200 stores). Males will slowly begin to leave their original troop when they are about 11 years old, travelling alone or with a group of other males for 2–5 years before being able to attract females to form a new group and start breeding. Aldi (7000 stores). Each typically leads a troop of 5 to 30 gorillas and is the center of the troop's attention, making all the decisions, mediating conflicts, determining the movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop. Switzerland. Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders.

Slovenia. Blackbacks are sexually immature males of up to 11 years of age. Romania. A silverback gorilla has large canines that come with maturity. Lithuania. A silverback is an adult male gorilla, typically more than 12 years of age and named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on his back. Latvia. All gorillas share a single blood type, B.

Estonia. Threats to gorilla survival include habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade. Croatia. Both species of gorilla are endangered, and have been subject to intense poaching for a long time. Canada. [1]. United Kingdom. The proposed third subspecies of Gorilla beringei which has not yet received a full latin designation is the Bwindi Gorilla.

Sweden. More recently it has been claimed that a third subspecies exists in one of these groups. Spain. There is now agreement that the gorilla is divided into two species of at least two subspecies each. Slovakia. Until recently there were considered to be three species of gorilla, the Western Lowland, the Eastern Lowland and the Mountain Gorilla. Portugal. Primatologists continue to explore the relationships between various gorilla populations.

Poland. Gorillas are renowned for their strength but no research has been conducted into how strong they are compared to humans. Norway (the first ten stores opened September 23, 2004). Due to their diet of plant life, gorillas often have bloated stomachs. The Netherlands. Insects make up 1-2% of their diet. Italy. Gorillas are mainly vegetarian, eating fruits, leaves, and shoots.

Republic of Ireland. The Philadelphia Zoo's Massa set the longevity record of 54 years at the time of his death. Hungary. Lifespan is between 30–50 years. Greece. Females mature at 10–12 years (earlier in captivity); males 11–13 years, sometimes sooner if they assume leadership early. Germany. Infants stay with their mothers for 3–4 years.

France. There are typically 3–4 years between births. Finland. Gestation is 8½ months. Denmark. Females are about half the weight of males. Czech Republic. Adult males range in height from 1.65 m to 1.75 m (5.4 to 5.7 feet), and in weight from 140 kg to 165 kg (305 to 360 pounds).

Belgium. Gorillas move about by knuckle-walking. Austria. .
. With 92-98% of its DNA being identical to that of a human, it is the second closest living relative to humans after the two chimpanzee species.

Divided into two species and (under debate as of 2006) either four or five subspecies. The gorilla, the largest of the primates, is a ground-dwelling herbivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. A popular virtual band "The Gorillaz" is named after the animal. In the 1997 film adaptation, Ape is voiced by John Cleese.

In the Tarzan-parody animated TV series George of the Jungle, George's best friend is an erudite talking gorilla named Ape. In the animated Disney version of Tarzan, the hero's adopted family are gorillas (unlike the "Great Apes" of the original book), including Kala, Kerchak, Terk, and Tublat. The British comedy series The Mighty Boosh features a talking gorilla named Bollo. Its theme is a dance song called "Barking Gorillas Bounce" [6], and its logo features three gorillas dressed as a barbershop trio.

There is a children's musical group called Barking Gorillas [5]. In the popular video game Halo 2, an alien race nicknamed the Brutes resemble evil gorillas. An intelligent gorilla named Grodd is a recurring super-villain of The Flash in DC Comics and the animated TV series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Gorillas were frequently used as a gimmick to sell comics during the Silver Age of Comic Books: see Gorillas in comics.

In the award-winning novel Ishmael, written by Daniel Quinn, a gorilla teaches the protagonist about the history of humanity and the effect "civilized" culture has had on other species. He (she?) also plays backup guitar for "Freddie," a fellow student who may or may not be Freddie Mercury. In the anime series "Sakigake! Cromartie High School," a gorilla is one of the more powerful delinquents at Cromartie High. Writer Mark Evanier promotes this holiday on his web site [3], [4].

"National Gorilla-Suit Day" is celebrated every year on January 31st. The protagonist of Don Martin's Mad Magazine strip "National Gorilla-Suit Day" is beset by gorillas (or persons dressed as gorillas). His beast modes get more technological in each incarnation. Optimus Primal in the TV series and toy line Beast Wars and Beast Machines starts out as a regular gorilla.

The namesake of the Donkey Kong video game franchise is a gorilla. In the Planet of the Apes films, comic books, etc., normal-sized gorillas fill security/military roles. The giant gorilla is a recurring theme in film, especially in the various incarnations of King Kong and Mighty Joe Young. The Phillips Academy boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, has a gorilla as an informal mascot.

Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, is the only public college in the United States to have a gorilla as mascot. The NBA's Phoenix Suns mascot is The Gorilla. A gorilla is a mascot for a number of sports teams: