2004 Western lowland gorilla

Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

First to be bred in the Czech Republic

Western lowland gorillas have been kept at Prague Zoo since 1963, but it was over forty years until the first offspring was born. For a long time the gorillas lived in the Monkey Pavilion, which stood on the site of today’s Indonesian Jungle Pavilion, but over time it became unsuitable for keeping large apes. 2001 saw the opening of a new pavilion (now called the Méfou Centre) built specifically for a whole gorilla group. It has a spacious indoor area and a naturally designed outdoor enclosure.

The result of these changes came in December 2004 when a baby gorilla was born to a female named Kijivu and a silverback male named Richard. Kijivu immediately took excellent care of her daughter, named Moja, who became one of the most popular animal personalities at Prague Zoo. Later on, Kijivu gave birth to two baby boys.

In September 2011, Moja left the group for the Cabárceno Nature Park in Spain. It was here that she gave birth to a daughter, Duni, who came to Prague in 2022 and is now part of our breeding group in the Dja Reserve pavilion.