Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Joshi is a silverback born at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, and he has just embarked on the most important journey of his life. In Spring 2021 he was transported by air and road, arriving safely at our Gorilla Protection Project in the Republic of Congo after a 48-hour journey. He is now taking his next steps to freedom, and your support can help him live free in the wild.
Your Sponsorship Really Helps
By sponsoring an Aspinall animal, you are helping to support our amazing overseas work and back to the wild campaigns.
What's included in your Sponsorship?
Digital pack £25
Digital pack including photocard and fact sheet about your chosen animal written by the expert team at The Aspinall Foundation.
Certificate of Sponsorship
The sponsor pack will be delivered straight to your inbox
18cm cuddly toy
Sponsor folder including photocard and fact sheet about your chosen animal written by the expert team at The Aspinall Foundation.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Please allow up to 14 days for delivery
Please note: Automatic name generation is currently unavailable for Digital sponsorships certificates. These will be left blank for the purchaser or recipient to enter. For Printed Sponsorships please provide the recipients name and it will be manually entered when you order is processed.
Fun Facts about Western Lowland Gorillas
The ends and middle bones of gorillas' fingers are flattened for extra strength and the knuckles have ridges to lock them in place whilst walking on all fours.
Gorillas are the largest primate in the world. They build a nest to sleep in each night. Their main threats are hunting for meat, destruction of habitat and Ebola.
Diet & habits
Gorillas eat a wide range of plants, roots, leaves, and fruits. Our gorillas receive over 150 different types of food items. Joshi will have supplementary feeds for the next year or so while he adjusts to living in the wild.
Where they can be found in the wild
Living deep in the rainforests of West Africa, the western lowland gorilla is the most widespread of all of the subspecies. By living in the rainforests they have better access to a wide range of foods like roots, bark, fruit and pulp.
How we're helping
The Aspinall Foundation manages a million acres of habitat in Congo and Gabon and reintroduces orphans of the bushmeat trade and gorillas from our own parks back to the wild. Nearly 80% of all western lowland gorillas in the wild live in unprotected areas which leaves them vulnerable to poaching. Western lowland gorillas are now classified as critically endangered due to habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat.
Our work helps protect their habitat and gives these incredible gorillas a chance to live free. We have introduced over 70 gorillas back to the wild, and they have recorded over 35 births. This means the gorilla population is recovering in the area, where previously they had been hunted to extinction in areas.
