Kashata

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. Kashata represents one of the captive-born females helping maintain genetic diversity in managed populations. Her parents, Machi and Ozoum, produced her at Zoo Atlanta in April 1993.

Raised in captivity from birth, she spent her first fifteen years in Atlanta before making the move to Florida. The transfer to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in March 2008 marked a new chapter, where she has remained for over a decade and a half.

As a member of the critically endangered subspecies Gorilla gorilla gorilla, her presence in managed care contributes to conservation efforts for her species. She has now lived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom longer than her original birthplace, establishing deep roots within the Florida facility’s gorilla program.