Shanga

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 remaining across their African range. Shanga represents hope for her critically endangered subspecies through managed breeding programs in zoos worldwide. She entered the world at Chessington World of Adventure & Zoo on 29 March 2001, daughter to mother Shani and father Kumba II.

Raised in captivity from birth, she has never known life outside the zoo environment. Her entire existence has unfolded within the same facility where she was born, making her one of Chessington’s most established residents. The bond with her natal group shaped her early development in ways that keepers observe closely.

At 23 years old, she has reached full maturity as a western lowland gorilla. Her subspecies, Gorilla gorilla gorilla, carries the grim distinction of Critical Endangerment status from the IUCN. Every captive-born gorilla like her contributes valuable genetic diversity to conservation efforts aimed at preventing extinction.