Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a new gorilla troop leader, and he arrived from a Missouri zoo

Visitors to Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom now have a new western lowland gorilla to see. Bakari, a 21-year-old male gorilla, has joined the park as the new leader of its gorilla troop, according to a report by Fox 35.

Bakari made his public debut at the gorilla habitat on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail on June 30, where guests can now watch him settle into his new home. He arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom from the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri, taking over as troop leader following the death of Gino, the park’s longtime leader.

Disney said Bakari’s transfer is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for western lowland gorillas, a programme under which zoos coordinate the movement of animals between facilities for reasons including breeding and maintaining genetic diversity within the species. Animal care experts helped Bakari adjust to his new surroundings before introducing him to the public, and Disney later announced the news in a Facebook post.

Bakari succeeds Gino, who served as troop leader at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for nearly three decades before his death was announced in September 2025 at age 44. Disney remembered him as an animal who “touched countless lives” with his “playful spirit, gentle humour, and steady presence as a devoted father and troop leader,” adding that he left behind 14 offspring and made global contributions to gorilla care and conservation.