Madini Thamani

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. Madini Thamani was born into this critically endangered subspecies at Lincoln Park Zoo in June 1996, daughter to parents Bulera and Frank. Her early years unfolded within the familiar confines of her birth facility.

At age six, she experienced her first major transition when she moved to Louisville Zoological Park in March 2002. The stay proved temporary. Two years later, she returned to Lincoln Park Zoo, where she spent another five years among the troop that had known her since birth.

In November 2009, at thirteen years old, she made her final move to Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. She has lived there for over a decade now, part of the managed population that helps maintain genetic diversity for her subspecies. Each transfer represents careful coordination between facilities working to sustain viable gorilla populations in human care.

As a member of Gorilla gorilla gorilla, she belongs to one of the most endangered great ape populations on the planet. Her life spans nearly three decades of conservation efforts aimed at preserving her subspecies for future generations.