By Carlos E. Casta\u00f1eda<\/p>\n
The San Francisco Zoo on Wednesday gave a sneak preview of one of its newest residents, a male silverback Western lowland gorilla.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old gorilla named \u201cCecil\u201d will make his official public debut on Saturday, after arriving at the zoo in early August from the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky. An acclimation process began after Cecil\u2019s arrival, along with an introductory phase with the zoo\u2019s resident females, zoo officials said.<\/p>\n
Robbie Graham, the zoo\u2019s senior curator of mammals, said the acclimation involved quarantine protocols, and after several weeks of visual engagement with the female gorillas, the doors inside the enclosure were opened so Cecil and the females could mingle.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve had a couple of weeks with the exhibit and the holdings to get used to each other and figure out the rules,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThe girls definitely showed him who\u2019s boss and running the show. Luckily, Cecil is probably one of the most even-tempered, chilled-out silverbacks there is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe arrival of Cecil is a welcome one, not only for our gorilla family, but for the City of San Francisco,\u201d said the zoo\u2019s COO and Interim co-CEO Cassandra Costello. \u201cFrom 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.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
In February, the zoo\u2019s 43-year-old silverback gorilla, \u201cOscar Jonesy,\u201d died from complications after a medical procedure<\/a>. Oscar Jonesy had lived at the Buffalo Zoo for many years before moving to the San Francisco Zoo in 2004, becoming the head of the zoo\u2019s \u201ctroop\u201d of gorillas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oscar Jonesy was the father of \u201cKabibe,\u201d a 16-month-old gorilla who was fatally crushed by a hydraulic door in 2014 while the gorillas were being moved to their night quarters. The zoo paid a $1,750 fine for negligence over the accident. <\/p>\n In 2020, the zoo\u2019s 39-year-old female gorilla \u201cZura\u201d died after suffering from long-term digestive issues.<\/p>\n