Layla

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. At the Bronx Zoo, one member of this critically endangered subspecies has called the same home for over two decades. Born to parents Huerfanita and Timmy in the spring of 1998, Layla represents the careful breeding programs that zoos maintain for Gorilla gorilla gorilla.

Captive breeding has become essential for this subspecies as wild populations continue to decline. She grew up within the established social structure at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, learning behaviors and hierarchies that mirror those of wild gorilla troops. Her birth added to the genetic diversity so crucial for maintaining healthy populations in managed care.

Now in her mid-twenties, Layla has spent her entire life at the same institution where she was born. The IUCN lists her subspecies as Critically Endangered, making every individual in managed breeding programs valuable for the species’ long-term survival.