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Bakari, Animal Kingdom's New Silverback Gorilla, Is Now on View to Guests at Gorilla Falls for the First Time
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Bakari, Animal Kingdom's New Silverback Gorilla, Is Now on View to Guests at Gorilla Falls for the First Time

Michael Travels
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Look toward the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail this week and you may spot a new face in charge. Bakari, a 21-year-old silverback, went on view to guests at Disney's Animal Kingdom on Monday, stepping into a leadership role that had sat empty since last September.

Meet Bakari: He is a male western lowland gorilla who came to Animal Kingdom from the Saint Louis Zoo. His move was recommended through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Plan, the program that coordinates gorilla breeding and placements across accredited institutions.

Bakari, a western lowland gorilla, perched on a rock in his forested habitat at Disney's Animal KingdomBakari, a 21-year-old western lowland gorilla, in his habitat on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. (Photo: Blog Mickey)

A month settling in: Disney first announced Bakari's arrival in June, then gave him roughly a month behind the scenes to acclimate to his new home and get acquainted with the resident troop, which meant temporary closures of the viewing area along the way. Disney welcomed him on social media at the time with a simple note: "Welcome home, Bakari. We're so happy you're here."

The silverback he follows: Bakari takes over from Gino, the beloved silverback who was a fixture on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail for roughly three decades. Gino died on September 17, 2025 at age 44, after a life spent as a troop leader and a father many times over. His loss left the group without a dominant male, and Bakari's arrival is the next chapter in that story.

How to see him: Bakari is on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in the Africa section of the park. As with any animal habitat, a sighting is not guaranteed on a given day, since the gorillas move around their space on their own schedule.

Sources

Image credits: Photos by Blog Mickey.

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