Cecil is welcomed to San Francisco and meets his public
The public is invited to see San Francisco’s newest resident, Cecil, a 26-year-old male silverback Western lowland gorilla, who will make his official public debut on Saturday, October 18th. Cecil arrived at San Francisco Zoo & Gardens in early August from the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, to start the acclimation process, which also included an introductory phase with the Zoo’s resident females.
“We are excited for the public to see Cecil in his new home and among his new family troop,” said Robbie Graham, Senior Curator of Mammals. “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.”
Last April, silverback Oscar Jonesy, who led the Zoo’s family troop since 2004, passed away from advanced heart disease. Soon after, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Gorillas, which manages all 350 gorillas living in AZA-accredited facilities, identified Cecil as a promising candidate to lead a family group, as his genetics offer a strong match for the Zoo’s female members.
Through managed breeding and deep understanding of natural behavior, the Gorilla SSP aims to maintain a genetically healthy gorilla population for the next century, while raising public awareness about gorilla conservation and the threats faced by wild populations of this critically endangered species. SF Zoo participates in both the Gorilla SSP and Gorilla SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) programs.
Born at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1998, Cecil moved to the Louisville Zoo in 2004, where he was part of a young bachelor group. Bachelor groups are a common social grouping modeled after wild gorilla behavior, allowing maturing silverbacks to develop socially, physically and hormonally.
The process of introducing our resident females, 45-year-old Bawang, 27-year-old Monifa, and 20-year-old Kimani, to a new silverback, is a complex process that takes time, patience, careful planning and observation by primate specialists. The process takes into consideration each individuals’ personalities and social history, and social dynamics.
“We allowed the gorillas to do things on their own time,” said Graham. “And 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.”
“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. “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.”
Guests can see Cecil at the Jones Family Gorilla Preserve at SF Zoo daily. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., winter hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., beginning November 2.