Blackpool-born gorilla starts new life in India

The first baby gorilla to be born at Blackpool Zoo has arrived in India as part of a global conservation scheme.

Meisie, who made history being born in 2010, and sibling Moanda, who came along two years later, have moved to a "state-of-the-art" facility at Mysuru Zoo.

The move took place earlier this week but their journey to India actually started in 2022 when the European Endangered Species Programme recommended them to be part of a new group with a silverback male named Quembo from Frankfurt Zoo.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild, due to threats from humans and deforestation, Blackpool Zoo said.

Mysuru Zoo in the south-west of India was selected to house the sisters as part of the breeding programme to help strengthen the genetic diversity of the international gorilla population.

The gorillas will live in a new facility with trees, climbing frames, ropes, rocks and nets.

Luke Minns from Blackpool Zoo has cared for the sisters since they were born and travelled with them and is spending time in India to work with Mysuru keepers to settle them into their new home.

Animal registrar at the zoo, Maria Webster, said: "Meisie and Moanda have been wonderful ambassadors for their species.

"It was bittersweet to see them go, but we know they'll be part of something much bigger and will be contributing to the global effort to protect and conserve the Western lowland gorilla population."

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