Quarta

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 remaining across their African range. Quarta was born into this critically endangered subspecies at Zoo Basel, where she would spend her entire life as part of the zoo’s gorilla program.

The daughter of Achilla and Christopher, she grew up within the established social structure that captive gorilla groups depend upon for healthy development. Her lineage connects to the broader European breeding efforts aimed at maintaining genetic diversity among managed populations.

Quarta lived at Basel for decades before her death on 18 March 2021. She represents one thread in the complex web of conservation breeding that zoos maintain for Gorilla gorilla gorilla, a subspecies that continues to decline in Central and West African forests due to habitat loss, disease, and hunting pressure.