The Audubon Zoo troop mirrors how gorillas structure their social groups in the wild, with a single adult male and multiple females.
The Western lowland gorilla, native to the rainforests of central Africa, is considered a critically endangered species due to poaching and a wild habitat that is gradually being encroached upon by industry.
Meet the Troop
- Okpara: Nicknamed "Okie" is the only male. Okpara arrived in December 2017 from New England's Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, the result of a long-term, inter-zoo gorilla gender-matching plan overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The plan, known as the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, tracks the various personalities, genetics, and other traits of gorillas raised in captivity to determine which animals would make the best matches.
- Tumani: An 12-year-old female moved to New Orleans in 2017 from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado.
- Praline: A 23-year-old female was the last gorilla born at Audubon Zoo.
- Alafia: A 28-year-old female from the Los Angels Zoo is the newest member of the gorilla troop.
Come visit the new gorillas in the World of Primates at Audubon Zoo and to take your own steps to protect the species by recycling old cell phones and other electronics. The Western lowland gorilla's native habitat in Africa is shrinking due in part to the mining of a metallic ore called coltan, a key ingredient in manufacturing batteries, including the kind found in our phones.
NOLA AAZK, our local chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, partners with an e-recycling company called Eco-Cell to collect and recycle unused cell phones or tablets. How are cell phones related to gorillas?
