Augustus

From the moment he arrived at the Wildlife Conservation Society as a newborn on 9 August 1981, he captured the attention of keepers with his steady growth. His mother Tunuka and father Bendera provided the early social framework that shaped his later years.

A move to Stonehand in May 1982 marked the first of several relocations, each transition carefully managed to preserve his well‑being. By the late 1980s he settled into the National Zoological Park, where a decade of observation added to our understanding of western lowland gorilla development.

In November 1997 he found a long‑term home at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, becoming a familiar figure for visitors and staff alike. Over the next twenty‑seven years he remained there, embodying the resilience of his critically endangered subspecies.

His life concluded on 2 February 2024 at the age of 42, a span that reflects both the successes and the challenges of captive breeding programs for a species listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.