Ubongo

Western lowland gorillas face extinction in the wild, with fewer than 100,000 left across their African range. Ubongo represents hope for his critically endangered subspecies through managed breeding programs in European zoos. Born to parents Zazie and Batouri at Zoo Hannover on a cold January morning in 2008, he spent his first six years learning essential social behaviors within his natal troop.

At nearly seven years old, he made the journey from Germany to Spain’s Loro Parque in late 2014. The move marked a significant transition in his development as a young male gorilla. Transfers like his are carefully coordinated between institutions to maintain genetic diversity and social stability across captive populations.

Now approaching his seventeenth year, he has lived the majority of his life at Loro Parque. His subspecies, Gorilla gorilla gorilla, continues to decline in Central and West African forests due to habitat loss, disease, and hunting pressure. Each gorilla in managed care contributes valuable knowledge about behavior, reproduction, and health that supports both captive populations and wild conservation efforts.