Cecil, new SF Zoo gorilla, to make public debut

(BCN) — San Francisco Zoo’s newest gorilla is preparing to make his public debut this weekend, two months after his arrival.

Cecil, a 26-year-old silverback western lowland gorilla, came to the San Francisco Zoo in early August and has slowly acclimated to the zoo’s gorilla preserve. He will lead the zoo’s family group of gorillas as the only male.

“We allowed the gorillas to do things on their own time,” said Robbie Graham, senior curator of mammals at the zoo, in a statement. “Because Cecil is still considered relatively young, we gave him space to explore his outdoor habitat on his own, before meeting each of the females as a group.”

There are three other gorillas that Cecil has joined — 45-year-old Bawang, 27-year-old Monifa, and 20-year-old Kimani.

Cecil was chosen to come to the San Francisco Zoo after Oscar Jonesy, the zoo’s silverback since 2004, died unexpectedly at the age of 43 in February.

But in a statement announcing Cecil’s debut, the San Francisco Zoo said that Oscar Jonesy died from advanced heart disease.

Soon after Oscar Jonesy’s death, the Gorilla Species Survival Plan identified Cecil as a promising candidate to lead the gorilla family due to his close genetic match to the females. The Gorilla Species Survival Plan helps manage gorilla populations in 51 zoos across the country.
Cecil was born in Cincinnati Zoo in 1998 before moving to the Louisville Zoo in 2004.
Zookeepers at the San Francisco Zoo said that Cecil has adapted well so far.

“Since his arrival, we have found him to be very even-tempered, and almost ‘chill,’ as experiencing an all-new environment among all new caretakers and other gorillas might have otherwise been daunting,” Graham said.

The zoo is hoping that Cecil will be a good candidate to mate with the other female gorillas in the future.

“The arrival of Cecil is a welcome one, not only for our gorilla family, but for the City of San Francisco,” said Cassandra Costello, chief operating officer and interim co-chief executive officer of San Francisco Zoo. “From the excitement I hear from the community, we know that visitors will come specifically to see him, as he takes reign of his new family troop.”

The public will be able to see Cecil beginning Saturday. A welcome celebration will be held from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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