Jomo is 26.Īccording to the zoo, there are less than 175,000 Western lowland gorillas worldwide, with about 765 residing in zoos. The only other male gorilla in Gorilla World is Jomo, who already fathered two female gorillas. Mshindi is the first addition to the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla family since Harambe's death. "In addition, he and his lineage are part of an ongoing breeding program." At the time, Maynard said plans were underway to double the size of Gorilla World. "It's not the end of his gene pool," he said. Harambe was killed one day after his 17th birthday, meaning he'd not yet reached breeding maturity, according to zoo Director Thane Maynard. The Cincinnati Zoo is a key player in gorilla breeding and conservation, and Maynard said reproductive biologists had collected viable sperm from Harambe to help his endangered species in its genetic diversity. Zoo officials said the safest option was to shoot the gorilla to save the boy. Harambe approached the boy, grabbed his leg and dragged him through the water. You may recall that Harambe, also a male Western Lowland Gorilla, was killed two summers ago when a 3-year-old fell into the Gorilla World moat. Female gorillas Chewie and Mara will join him soon, where they'll remain until Gorilla World closes on Oct. When working with highly intelligent animals like the great apes, it’s imperative for keepers from both zoos involved in a transfer to collaborate and exchange detailed information to ensure a smooth transition.”įor now, Mshindi is alone in the outdoor exhibit, the news release said. “Mshindi has settled in nicely,” said Ron Evans, Cincinnati Zoo’s Curator of Primates, in the news release. “We worked closely with Louisville Zoo’s gorilla staff to learn Mshindi’s trained behaviors for body presentations and health exams and to get familiar with his likes and dislikes. Another male gorilla was chosen to lead Mshindi's family group in Louisville, the release said, so Mshindi was sent to Cincinnati. He came to Cincinnati by way of the Louisville Zoo he was specifically chosen to come to Cincinnati based on "genetics, personalities and social needs," according to a news release from the zoo.
Mshindi, a 29-year-old Western Lowland Silverback Gorilla, is now at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's outdoor Gorilla World habitat. "We stand by our decision and we’d make the same call today.CINCINNATI - There's a new male silverback gorilla in town. "When it was determined that the child was being injured, not potentially injured but was being injured both down in the moat and up on the ground, we had to make a decision to shoot him and we did," Maynard said Monday.
The boy was hospitalized and later released.
was the much-awaited call reporting the child was safe, rescued and being transported.Ī Cincinnati Zoo employee shot the gorilla with a rifle when the child was in between his legs, and zoo employees then unlocked the gate and firefighters quickly retrieved the child, the fire department reported. When fire department personnel arrived at the enclosure, "they witnessed a gorilla who was violently dragging and throwing the child," the fire department said in its report.Īt 4:00 p.m., there was a report to police about trying to tranquilize the gorilla to get to the child, and at 4:01 p.m.
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