An 18-year-old man weighing 193 kilograms completed a journey of more than 3,000 kilometers and was given VIP treatment. He traveled in a custom built crate and was accompanied by a team of nurses, flight engineers, cargo handlers, security personnel, pilots and drivers.

“Kiburi enjoyed green leafy vegetables, a snack of chives and bananas and cold fruit tea during his first class ride,” explained gorilla keeper Glynn Hennessy.

The primate arrived at Heathrow Airport on the evening of November 18, where he spent the night. In the morning, followed by transfer to the zoo. There, Kiburi will become leader of the herd in the pavilion of the Gorilla Kingdom, which is inhabited by two females and two cubs. The aim of this whole event is to increase the gorilla population.

Kiburi men are chosen very honestly. London park staff went to see him last November at the Loro Parque zoo in the Canary Islands. For five days, they observed how he behaved and cooperated with other animals.

“We found him to be a calm and friendly individual who fits very well into our gorilla family dynamic. He likes to lie down in the morning, he is more active in the afternoon, so in the last few weeks we have installed a lot of new climbing aids in his paddock to keep him entertained when he gets out of bed,” said Hennessy. .

The lowland gorilla is an endangered species, whose population has declined by more than 80 percent in the last three generations. It has a reproduction rate of only three percent.