Mosuba

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. Mosuba entered the world at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in October 1983, the offspring of Bridgette and Oscar during an era when captive breeding programs were becoming essential for species survival.

His early years involved multiple moves between Columbus and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. The pattern of transfers began when he was just two and a half years old, taking him from his birthplace to Nebraska in April 1986. Three months later, he returned to Columbus, only to make the journey back to Omaha again the following spring.

After another stint at Columbus Zoo lasting three years, he settled into a long residency at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo in August 1990. For nearly 25 years, he remained part of their gorilla program as he matured from a young male into full adulthood.

In April 2015, at age 31, he made his final transfer to North Carolina Zoological Park. He has lived there for nearly a decade now, representing his critically endangered subspecies as one of the managed population of western lowland gorillas in North American zoos.