Machinda

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 remaining across their African range. Machinda was part of the captive population working to preserve this critically endangered subspecies. Her father was the famous Copito de Nieve, making her lineage particularly important to European breeding programs.

Captive-born at Parc Zoològic de Barcelona in January 1978, she grew up under the care of her mother Bimvili. The zoo became her lifelong home, where she spent over four decades as part of the resident gorilla troop.

She lived to be 41 years old, an impressive lifespan that speaks to the quality of care she received throughout her life. Her death in January 2019 marked the end of an era for Barcelona’s gorilla program, where she had been a constant presence for more than forty years.