Only the male gorillas can become a silverback. Here’s some interesting facts about Silverback gorillas that shows what incredible primates they are. The population of Silverbacks are currently on a steady decline, and poachers are playing a major role in this. These photos are copyrighted and can not be used without permission of the photographer.Also known as the Mountain Gorilla or the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, the Silverback Gorilla is a form of ape found in African mountain ranges. Therefore it is impossible to predict in advance which gorillas will be on display at a specific time. Please note, to promote activity levels similar to those of gorillas in the wild, all gorillas will be encouraged to rotate through the various habitat areas at different times each day. Helen’s hair has grayed, and she has a highly wrinkled face and grizzled sideburns. Helen was born in the wild in 1958, then lived at Lincoln Park Zoo until her arrival at Louisville Zoo in 2002. He often enjoys splashing around in one of the outdoor pools, and he also can sometimes be found climbing the exhibit’s trees. Kicho is the stockiest of the four silverbacks in the bachelor group, and can be easily recognized by his protruding upper left canine tooth and his wall-eyes. He and Cecil share several relatives including the same father. Kicho was born at Cincinnati Zoo in 1997 and arrived at Louisville Zoo in 2004. He is very intelligent and savvy and is the most dominant among the silverbacks. Cecil is the youngest member of the all-male group of four silverbacks. He and Kicho share several relatives including the same father. (Frank passed away in 2008.) CECILĬecil was born at Cincinnati Zoo in 1998 and arrived at Louisville Zoo in 2004. He shares his father Frank’s looks, but some physical traits of his great-grandmother Helen can be seen in him as well. Bengati currently resides with three other silverbacks: Jelani, Kicho and Cecil. BENGATIīengati was born at Lincoln Park Zoo in 1998 and arrived at Louisville Zoo in 2002. He enjoys the company of Bengati and they sometimes play or rest together.
He is a laid-back individual and sometimes likes to look at the cellphone photos and videos of guests. Jelani currently resides with three other silverbacks: Bengati, Kicho and Cecil. Our International superstar and youtube sensation due to his fascination with cellphone s - Jelani was born at Lincoln Park Zoo in 1997 and arrived at Louisville Zoo in 2002. Casey is the patriarch in a family group with Paki, Kindi and Kweli. Silverback Casey was born in 1982 and came to the Louisville Zoo from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans in 2017.He is described as “laid back” and he enjoys eating his fruit peeled.
Paki’s family group includes Casey, Kindi and Kweli. She is distinguishable from the other gorillas because she is often seen sucking her finger and standing upright. Paki enjoys interaction with both visitors at the glass and care staff. Now, she is the surrogate mother of Kindi. She was an excellent mother as well as a high-ranking and well-socialized female at Cincinnati. She is mother to Kicho (Louisville Zoo) and also has offspring at Pittsburgh Zoo and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Kweli was born at Cincinnati Zoo in 1983 and arrived in Louisville in April of 2008. You can see some of her first year’s adventures at Kindi’s Journey. Since that time, Kindi has grown from an orphaned infant gorilla hand raised by our Gorilla Forest care team into a thriving playful gorilla with a devoted surrogate gorilla mother and a wonderful family group include “aunt” Paki and silverback gorilla Casey. Sadly, Mia Moja passed away the next day. Kindi was born via emergency cesarean section to 27 year-old gorilla Mia Moja on March 14, 2016.
The Louisville Zoo’s Gorilla Forest is home to multiple family groups of gorillas.