Rumpelstills

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. Rumpelstills entered the world at Cincinnati Zoo in August 1984, born to parents Rosie and Ramses I during a critical period for his subspecies’ conservation.

His early years were spent in Cincinnati before moving to Saint Louis Zoological Park as a young gorilla in 1988. There he lived for nearly a decade, developing through his juvenile years in the Midwest facility’s care.

March 1998 marked his arrival at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, where he has remained for more than 25 years. The IUCN lists his subspecies, Gorilla gorilla gorilla, as Critically Endangered — making every captive-born male like him valuable for future breeding programs and conservation research.

Now approaching his fifth decade, he represents one of the older silverbacks in North American zoos. His long residency at Jacksonville has made him a cornerstone of their great ape program.