A new addition has been added to the Calgary Zoo with the debut of Jasiri the new male Silverback Western Lowland gorilla.
Jasiri, who is 21-years-old, was brought to the Calgary Zoo from Zoo Atlanta back in June.
Calgarians will get a glimpse of the new addition to the gorilla family at the zoo for the first time on Tuesday.
For the past three months, Jasiri has been in quarantine as he adapts to his new surroundings.
Jasiri has been shown his new habitat and the goal is to introduce him to the female gorillas and slowly introduce him to each member of the troop.
“He got to meet the girls for the last two months, so he could see them, smell them and hear them, but not be side by side with them,” said Dr. Malu Celli, Curator at the Calgary Zoo. “Since his quarantine has been completed, he can now come out and explore the spaces and meet everybody.”
Dr. Celli said they hope to have Jasiri and all five female gorillas living side by side sooner rather than later but when a Silverback is introduced there is a certain level of aggression and a step-by-step approach is necessary.
Dr. Celli also stressed the importance of conservation.
“For us this is really important to have this and to continue the family because gorillas are part of a species survival plan. They are critically endangered, their population has crashed in the wild up to 60 percent in the last couple of decades.”
The Calgary Zoo's previous Silverback, Kakinga, lived at the zoo for 32 years before he died in 2016.
