DENVER —
And then there were two.
At the recommendation of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), three of the Denver Zoo’s western lowland gorillas have been shipped off to Jacksonville. Jim 31, Tinga, 14, and Whimsie, 3, departed the Mile High City for Florida on Monday, according to Denver Zoo spokesperson Jake Kubie.
The goal is that they’ll fall in love with one of the ladies in Jacksonville, and help grow the gorilla population.
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The Great Apes exhibit’s resident lowland gorilla bachelors, Charlie, 23, and his brother Curtis, 24, will stay in Denver for the “foreseeable future,” the zoo said. The zoo isn't sure if these two gorillas may get some new gorilla friends.
"We're currently working with the SSP on what next steps will be," said Senior Vice President of Animal Services for the Denver Zoo, Brian Acucone. "We're always in contact about what's next. What's best for the population."
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“Having one troop in Great Apes rather than two will allow our animal care team to better train the gorillas to participate in their own medical care,” the zoo wrote in a news release announcing this development.
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, and the Species Survival Plan is aimed at bolstering a genetically-diverse population of the Great Apes in captivity.
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