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Bakari the boss: Meet 400-pound silverback gorilla set to lead Disney's Animal Kingdom gorilla troop – 5 things to know
A new leader has arrived on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Bakari, a 21-year-old, 400-pound western lowland gorilla.
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A new leader has finally arrived on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Bakari, a 21-year-old, 400-pound western lowland gorilla.
Bakari is a silverback gorilla. According to Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, ““Silverback” refers to the distinctive silver hair adult male gorillas develop—not a separate species or subspecies.”
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Five things to know about Bakari
Here are five things to know about Bakari:
- Bakari arrived at Disney's Animal Kingdom in July, and has gradually been getting used to his new home and family members.
- Bakari will serve as the new leader of the gorilla troop, after the death of Gino in September 2025. Gino led the troop for nearly 30 years, per Fox 35 Orlando.
- In a blog post in July, officials said that Bakari likes to stretch out and lounge with his chin resting on his hand, while observing all the activity happening around him.
- Serving as the troop's leader, Bakari will help shape the next generations of gorillas at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and will even potentially father some of his own.
- Bakari got the all-clear during a wellness check that guests could watch through a window, according to an ABC News video.
Introductions to the female gorillas
Introductions to the female gorillas are reportedly moving slowly as of now. They are now in a visual and sensory introduction phase, known as a "howdy'. The animals can see, hear, and smell each other through mesh barriers before direct physical contact is permitted.
Leaders at Disney said the females are already "starry-eyed" upon seeing Bakari.
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"They can see each other, smell each other, hear each other. So they're in that process right now, and the girls are pretty smitten with him... they're a little starry-eyed. They'll come right up to the mesh because they still don't have the opportunity to touch each other. They just sit there staring in his eyes and watching him," said Dr. Natalie Mylniczenko.
Bakari got a clean bill of health after animal health professionals at Disney conducted a check-up.
"He weighs 400 pounds. He's extremely strong. And so he's not just going to walk up here and go through all those machines... he is under anesthesia. He's trained to receive a hand injection, and he took that extremely well," he said. "Because we have a viewing window here into our hospital, the number of kids that we're inspiring to take action around conservation or animal care is awesome," said Animal Health Director Dr. Geoff Pye.
