Ekuba

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. At San Diego Zoo, one member of this critically endangered subspecies has called the facility home since birth. Ekuba entered the world on March 5, 2006, the offspring of Jessica and Memba.

Captive breeding programs for Gorilla gorilla gorilla help maintain genetic diversity outside their natural habitat. He represents part of that coordinated effort, born into a managed population where every birth matters for the subspecies’ future. His parents contributed their genes to what conservationists hope will be a stable captive population.

Now approaching two decades of life, he has spent all his years within the same zoo community. The IUCN lists his subspecies as Critically Endangered, making each healthy gorilla in managed care valuable for potential future conservation efforts.