Three’s Company: Denver Zoo Welcomes New Gorilla Trio

Learn More About Critically Endangered Western Lowland Gorillas

Denver Zoo's western lowland gorillas have been a fixture and guest favorite for many years, and we’ve supported the species by caring for and breeding numerous families, groups and individuals. We’re now excited to welcome a new group of gorillas, Mbeli, 18, Kali, 14, and Gunther, 13, who arrived this week from Zoo Atlanta and are making their public debut in the Great Apes habitat in Primate Panorama. In preparation for their arrival, our former family Troop of Jim, Tinga and Whimsie, and brothers Charlie and Curtis, moved within the past year to Jacksonville Zoo and Kansas City Zoo, respectively.  

“The three bachelors in Denver Zoo's new gorilla troop are old enough to leave their natal group but not necessarily have their own troop, which can be a challenging situation for many AZA-accredited facilities to manage. This is a natural event for this species to have males disperse and form all male troops until they find their own family group,” said Brian Aucone, Senior Vice President for Animal Care. “Our Great Apes habitat, combined with our animal care teams experience and expertise will allow us to support the species by providing a comfortable home for this new troop of gorillas.” 

Western lowland gorillas are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Their primary threats include logging, agriculture and poaching through their native ranges in Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo. Mbeli, Kali and Gunther became Denver Zoo's new troop of gorillas at the recommendation of the Association of Zoo and Aquariums Gorilla Species Survival Plan—which ensures a healthy, genetically diverse population of gorillas in human care, is an increasingly important insurance policy for the species as wild populations decline in the face of mounting threats.  

Learn more about new Denver Zoo gorillas below: 

Mbeli, Kali and Gunther have lived together as a bachelor group since 2012. Kali and Gunther are half-brothers, while Mbeli’s father, Ozzie, is the world’s oldest living male gorilla at 58 years old. Mbeli’s keepers say he’s quite vocal when he’s ready to eat, and can be heard making a grumbling sound while he chows down.