Lilly

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 remaining across their African range. Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on February 19, 2010, Lilly represents hope for her critically endangered subspecies through managed breeding programs.

Her parents, Kashata and Gino, brought together genetics important for maintaining diversity within captive populations. She entered the world as part of a carefully planned birth designed to strengthen the species’ future.

Now in her teenage years, Lilly has grown up entirely within the Disney’s Animal Kingdom troop. Her subspecies — Gorilla gorilla gorilla — depends increasingly on zoos and conservation centers as wild populations continue declining due to habitat loss, disease, and human encroachment across Central and West Africa.