Ellen

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. Ellen was born into this critically endangered subspecies at Frankfurt Zoo, the daughter of Makulla and Abraham. Her early years were spent in the care of her mother before she would eventually move between three different German institutions.

In April 1982, she transferred to Zoo Hannover, where she lived for seven years. The move to a new facility meant adapting to different keepers, enclosures, and potentially new social dynamics within the gorilla group. After nearly a decade at Hannover, she made her final transfer in April 1989 to Münchener Tierpark Hellabrunn.

Her time at Hellabrunn spanned over two decades, making it her longest residence at any single zoo. She lived there for 23 years until health complications arose. In May 2012, veterinarians discovered an advanced malignancy affecting her digestive system.

Faced with her declining condition and poor prognosis, zoo veterinarians made the difficult decision to euthanize her on May 20, 2012. She had lived her entire life in managed care, moving between three institutions that contributed to the conservation efforts for her critically endangered species.