Charles the Gorilla
Charles the Gorilla was a wild-born western lowland gorilla from Gabon, West Africa who was notable for being the silverback of the Toronto Zoo's gorilla troop from September 1974 until his death in October 2024.
Biography
Early life
Despite his approximate date of birth falling on September 23, 1972, it was celebrated on January 19 each year. At a young age, he was a lively and curious ape who grew into a strong, watchful guardian of his group. At a time when humans were less vigilant about their treatment of threatened and endangered species, Charles was sought after by a group of poachers interested in acquiring gorillas for international trade. At the time, gorilla infants could fetch a price of up to $5000. He is thought to have been found next to his mother's corpse.Toronto Zoo
On September 24, 1974, Charles was sent to the Toronto Zoo, where he lived until his death. His name was given to him because his particularly round face reminded the staff at the zoo of Charlie Brown. When Charles was first brought to the zoo, he was considered rather unattractive because he was missing patches of hair and had lesions and sores on his body.Charles, along with Amanda, Barney, Caroline, Josephine, Julia, and Samantha, were part of the Toronto Zoo's first acquisition of a group of wild-caught gorillas for the newly opened zoo. The Toronto Zoo opened its doors in August 1974 and since then some 33 million visitors have seen the zoo's gorillas. This group of seven gorillas has conceived over 33 children and are represented by more than 23 living offspring, comprising three generations. Charles sired eleven children, of which eight still survive today. He also had six grandchildren.
Offspring
In total, Charles sired 11 offspring. His daughter Sekani now lives in Arkansas at the Little Rock Zoo. His son Jomo resided at the Cincinnati Zoo. Both Jomo and Sekani are parents to two boys. His third adult son Subira resided at the Dallas Zoo. His daughter Johari lives at the Calgary Zoo. His daughter Shalia lives at the Milwaukee Zoo. He also has four younger offspring, Sadiki, Nassir, Nneka, and Charlie who remain at the Toronto Zoo.Another of Charles' offspring was sent to the Dallas Zoo where in March 2004, Jabari escaped his enclosure and injured 3 patrons. Jabari was supposedly thrown into a fit of rage by a group of youths that taunted him and, in an effort to exact his revenge, he climbed a 5.5-metre wall and ran amok in the visitors' viewing area while patrons fled in panic. After 45 minutes outside of his exhibit, the Dallas police were called in to control the situation. In what was reported as an attack on officers, Dallas police shot and killed Jabari before zoo staff could dart or subdue him.
Later life and death
On August 15, 2024, a bronze statue of Charles was unveiled outside his home of the zoo's African Rainforest pavilion to commemorate his long life as well as the Toronto Zoo's 50th anniversary.On October 29, 2024, Charles died at the age of 52, with his keepers and his daughter, Johari, at his side. He had begun to exhibit signs of heart failure the week prior.