Lomela †

Born at Tiergarten der Stadt Nürnberg in May 1972, Lomela was the daughter of Delphi and Fritz. Western lowland gorillas like her belong to one of the most endangered great ape subspecies, with Gorilla gorilla gorilla listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

Her life spanned four decades and multiple institutions across Germany. After spending her first eleven years at Nürnberg, she moved to Berlin Zoo in 1983, though this stay proved brief. Within two years, she had returned to her birthplace at Nürnberg, where she remained for another seven years.

The final chapter of her life unfolded at Zoologischer Garten Wuppertal, where she lived for over two decades after arriving in 1992. She died there in December 2015 at the age of 43, succumbing to a severe bowel blockage. Her four transfers between zoos reflected the careful management of captive gorilla populations across European institutions.