Welcome, Shango & Barney!
Say "hi" to Shango and Barney, our new silverback gorillas that made their public debut today!
Shango is 28 years old and Barney is 23 years old. Both arrived from Sedgwick County Zoo in May and have been in quarantine awaiting the completion of a series of renovations and modifications made to their exhibit.
The brothers were born at San Francisco Zoo and moved to Sedgwick County Zoo in 2004. They came to us as part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendation with the hope that females will become available in the future to help contribute toward a carefully planned captive breeding program. SSP programs are led by experts who work collaboratively with AZA-accredited institutions to maintain genetic diversity and long-term sustainability of select species of threatened and endangered animals under human care.
Western lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species found in dense forests of the Congo Basin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and Gabon. Males can stand over 5 feet tall and weigh over 400 pounds with females being significantly smaller and weighing approximately 150 - 200 pounds. They are vegetarians and generally not aggressive, often being referred to as “gentle giants.” The term “silverback” is given to adult males that develop gray/silver hair on their backs once they are sexually mature.