Jersey Zoo introduces new gorilla to the troop for first time in 15 years
11 June 2026
Two months after opening a brand-new state of the art gorilla house, Jersey Zoo has welcomed a new gorilla, 10-year-old female Afia, from Bristol Zoo Project.
She joins Badongo, Bahasha, Hlala Kahilli and Amari in their new house and will initially be settling in behind the scenes in a purpose built off-show area. Afia is the first gorilla to join the existing troop in over 15 years, after silverback Badongo arrived from France in 2011.
To help Afia settle into her new life in Jersey, the team from Bristol Zoo Project travelled over and will support the keepers at Jersey Zoo with her gradual introduction to Badongo and then the rest of the troop.
Afia is a charismatic gorilla that had an interesting start to life at Bristol Zoo Project, making headlines after being born by emergency caesarean in 2016. She was then hand-reared by keepers before being successfully reintroduced to her troop. Afia also comes from an interesting lineage as the granddaughter of Snowflake, the world's only known white gorilla to date.
Speaking about the move, Durrell’s Director of Zoo Operations, Mark Habben, said:
“Afia’s story has been extraordinary from the very beginning, and we’re incredibly proud to welcome her to Jersey Zoo. Moves like this are an important part of ensuring a healthy future for western lowland gorillas, and we hope Afia will settle well into the troop and, one day, raise young of her own here.
Our new gorilla habitat has been designed to give the troop as much choice and freedom as possible. We’re looking forward to watching Afia explore her new home and become part of the group.”
Sarah Gedman, Curator at Bristol Zoo Project who was there when Afia was born almost ten years ago and travelled to Jersey to help her settle into her new home added:
“Watching Afia grow from a vulnerable newborn into a confident adolescent gorilla has been incredibly special for all of us at Bristol Zoo Project. Despite the challenges she faced at the start of her life, she has absolutely flourished during her time here and become an important part of the conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas.
As Afia has reached adulthood, we’ve always known the time would come for her to move on and hopefully start a family of her own. For me personally, it feels like a real full circle moment. I was there when Afia was born almost ten years ago, and now I’ve travelled to Jersey and am helping her settle into her new home.
Joining the troop at Jersey Zoo is absolutely the right next step for her. Once she’s fully settled and confident in her new surroundings, I’ll know it’s time for me to leave her to begin this exciting new chapter of her life.”
Photo: Gareth Davies
Whilst the two teams work collaboratively to introduce Afia to the troop at Jersey Zoo, visitors may not be able to see her as she will be living in a dedicated off-show area to give her the space she needs to settle. The zoo will be sharing regular updates on Afia’s progress with its members and supporters across social media, including when she is ready to fully integrate alongside Badongo, Bahasha, Hlala Kahilli and Amari.
The new gorilla house at Jersey Zoo was designed to enable moves like this by including a dedicated area where gorillas can live independently, with outdoor access, keeper monitoring systems and the same state of the art heating, cooling and humidity systems.
It is with thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the many individuals, families, businesses, trusts and foundations who supported Durrell’s fundraising efforts for this new house. Their support has enabled Jersey Zoo to provide a world-class home for western lowland gorillas and strengthen its contribution to the conservation of this Critically Endangered species.
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