Asili

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 remaining across their African range. At Chessington World of Adventure & Zoo, one member of this critically endangered subspecies has called the same home for over three decades. Asili was born there in the summer of 1991, the daughter of Kaja and Kumba.

Captive breeding programs like the one that produced her help maintain genetic diversity in managed populations of Gorilla gorilla gorilla. She has remained at Chessington throughout her life, growing from infant to adult female within the same facility where her parents raised her.

Now in her thirties, Asili represents more than three decades of gorilla care at the Surrey zoo. Her subspecies carries the IUCN’s most urgent conservation classification, making every individual in managed care part of a crucial safety net for the species’ future.