Gorilla

Native to Africa, western lowland gorillas are large and muscular. They have black skin and coarse hair ranging from brown to gray. The Detroit Zoo is home to five gorillas, four of whom moved to the Zoo in August 2023. Mshindi, a silverback male, was born Oct. 17, 1987. Tulivu was born May 2, 2004. Bandia was born Sept. 13, 1997. Nayembi was born Nov. 16, 2012. The newest arrival, Motema, was born on Aug. 8, 2024, to mother Bandia and father Mshindi. Motema, whose name means “heart” in the Lingala language, is the first baby gorilla to be born at the Zoo in its history.