M'Domo

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across Central and West Africa. M’Domo represents hope for his critically endangered subspecies through managed breeding programs at accredited facilities.

Born at the Bronx Zoo on July 9, 2006, he is the offspring of mother Fran and father Fubo. His birth added another generation to the carefully managed population of Gorilla gorilla gorilla in North American zoos.

Now approaching his eighteenth year, M’Domo has spent his entire life at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. The facility has maintained western lowland gorillas for decades as part of coordinated conservation efforts.

Every captive-born gorilla like M’Domo contributes genetic diversity to a species under severe pressure from habitat loss, disease, and hunting in their native range. His subspecies carries the IUCN’s most urgent classification: Critically Endangered.