The Brookfield Zoo Western lowland gorillas are getting a new leader, 26-year-old Jontu, from the Saint Louis Zoo.
RELATED: You can name a cockroach after your ex, adopt penguins at Brookfield Zoo for Valentine's Day
"We will slowly introduce them. ... Their introductions can be really aggressive sometimes, and we don't know how it's going to go because it's a stranger coming into somebody else's territory," Snyder said. As for Zachary, he'll be hanging out with the other guys in St. Louis before he's introduced to the female gorillas.
"In the wild, male gorillas, once they reach a certain age - it's anywhere from 6 to 13, depending on the troop and the situation - what they'll do is leave the troop they were born into and they'll either be solitary in the wild or they'll join small groups of males. We're kind of mimicking that here, by sending him to St. Louis to join a bachelor group," Snyder said.
Western lowland gorillas are considered critically endangered. There are about 300,000 of them found in swamps and dry lowland forests throughout Western Equatorial Africa.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Leading SA: San Antonio Zoo CEO, Tim Murrow, discusses upcoming changesThe San Antonio Zoo is a staple of family-friendly fun in and around San Antonio, and there are big changes on the way!
Read more »
Owl by himself: Rescue efforts continue after Flaco flees Central Park ZooSunday afternoon, the bird, named Flaco, was perched on a tree in Central Park, across the street from the Plaza Hotel. He was clearly visible to the naked eye.
Read more »
Blood-flavored ice helps zoo animals beat Rio's heatThere weren't many options for residents of Rio de Janeiro's zoo to beat the brutal heat the city had been experiencing, however, a team of experts started offering them exotic frozen treats.
Read more »