New Gorillas Join Troops At San Diego Zoo, Safari Park

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two western lowland gorillas recently joined troops at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park as part of a breeding and conservation program.

Kitoko, a 6-year-old male, arrived at the San Diego Zoo from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. He will join brothers Denny and Eukba in the zoo's bachelor troop, where young male gorillas live together.

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Guests will soon be able to see Kitoko at the gorilla habitat in the Lost Forest.

At the Safari Park, 33-year-old Matumaini arrived from Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas to become the silverback, or adult male leader, of the Gorilla Forest family troop.

Matumaini joins a group of females that includes Imani, Jessica, Kamilah, Leslie and Joanne. As silverback, he will help lead the troop and protect its members.

The arrivals were part of the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which coordinates breeding and transfers among accredited zoos to help maintain healthy animal populations.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered. They face threats including illegal wildlife trafficking and habitat loss.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance works to protect the species and its native habitat through conservation efforts in Africa.