Tunko

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 remaining across their African range. Tunko was born into this critically endangered subspecies at the Bronx Zoo in October 1984, the daughter of Tunuka and Kongo. She would spend her entire four decades within the same institution that brought her into the world.

Captive breeding programs for Gorilla gorilla gorilla represent crucial conservation efforts for a species under severe pressure from habitat loss and hunting. Tunko grew up under the care of Wildlife Conservation Society keepers, developing within the social structure that defines gorilla family life. Her lineage connected her to the broader managed population working to maintain genetic diversity for future generations.

Over forty years, she witnessed countless changes at the Bronx Zoo while remaining a constant presence in the gorilla program. Her death from a heart attack in May 2025 marked the end of a life that spanned nearly half a century of conservation work for one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.