New gorilla makes himself at home in Antwerp Zoo

The gorillas of Antwerp Zoo have welcomed the arrival of a what should become the new leader of the group. Six weeks after the death of Kumba, the zoo this week welcomed Matadi, a 12-year-old silverback from Howletts Wild Animal Park in Canterbury, the UK.

Matadi (pictured) will not join the zoo’s band of four female gorillas immediately; he is being introduced to them visually, from behind a barrier. He then will be placed in a space with each of the four females in turn. Matadi will normally bite each one in the neck to establish his dominance over them.

“Matadi is very social and curious, and he likes to be the centre of attention,” said zoo co-ordinator Sarah Lafaut. “He has long arms, which gives him an impressive appearance. He’s not yet fully grown, but we expect him to become an even more handsome, more imposing silverback than Kumba was.”

Gorillas of Matadi’s type in the western lowlands of Africa are seriously endangered, with only about 90,000 remaining in the wild. Hence the importance of the Zoo’s breeding programme and any offspring Matadi may produce with two of the females: Mambele, age 16, and eight-year-old Kiki. The other two females in the group, Victoria and Amahoro, are eastern lowland gorillas; the two species cannot mate.

Photo: Jonas Verhulst/Antwerp Zoo