Sadiki

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. At Toronto Zoo, one member of this critically endangered subspecies has called the facility home since birth. Sadiki entered the world on March 7, 2005, the offspring of Samantha and Charles.

Raised in captivity from his first day, he has grown up within the established social structure of his birth zoo. His mother Samantha provided the early care that shapes young gorillas, while his father Charles represented the silverback presence essential to gorilla family dynamics.

Nearly two decades have passed since his birth, and he continues to be part of Toronto Zoo’s gorilla population. As a western lowland gorilla — Gorilla gorilla gorilla — he belongs to a subspecies that the IUCN has classified as Critically Endangered, making each individual important for both education and conservation efforts.