N'Goma

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. N’Goma was born into this critically endangered subspecies on August 8, 1994, at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. His parents, Pattycake and Timmy, were part of the managed breeding program working to maintain genetic diversity in captive populations.

At six and a half years old, he made the move from New York to Nebraska. The February 2001 transfer brought him to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, where he has lived for more than two decades. Born in captivity, he represents the careful genetic management that zoos use to maintain healthy gorilla populations.

Now approaching his thirtieth year, he has spent the majority of his life in Omaha. His subspecies, Gorilla gorilla gorilla, remains listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Each captive-born western lowland gorilla like him helps preserve the genetic heritage of a species under severe pressure in its native habitat.