Meet the troop
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Kayembe (Born Oct. 26, 2021)
Kayembe is the first baby gorilla in Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s history. His name means “extraordinary” in recognition of his amazing birth and story. Like all newborn gorillas, Kayembe continues to be in nearly constant contact with adoptive mom, Freddy.
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Fredrika "Freddy" (47)
Freddy is the oldest gorilla in the troop and is also the dominant female. Having previously raised four infants, Freddy’s maternal instincts quickly took over when the baby was born and she has taken the role of the adoptive mother, providing constant care and protection of Kayembe.
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Mokolo (34)
Mokolo is Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s longest gorilla resident and is the male silverback. As the leader of the troop, his role is to protect and lead the family as well as to break up any quarrels amongst the other adult gorillas! At nearly 400 pounds, he is twice the size of the adult females of the troop.
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Nneka (23)
Nneka is the youngest adult female in the gorilla troop and is the birth mother of Kayembe. Unfortunately, she did not show proper maternal care for Kayembe at birth which required Freddy to step in and take on that critical role. She continues to show interest in the infant but is playing a lesser role now that Freddy has taken the infant under her wing.
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Kebi Moyo (30)
Kebi Moyo or “Kebi” arrived to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in 2017 and quickly formed a strong bond with Freddy before they were both introduced to Mokolo. As one of the younger females, she enjoys climbing to higher spots in the habitat and stays close to the dominant female Freddy. She also has shown great interest in caring for Kayembe.
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Tusa (32)
Tusa arrived at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in May 2019 from Albuquerque Zoo in New Mexico. She was the 4th female added to the troop and is the most independent among the other gorillas. Tusa can be identified by her large brown eyes and grayer hair.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s gorilla troop is featured in a weekly two-hour livestream on Netflix starting Thursday, September 7th. The livestream of the gorilla troop “Baby Gorilla Cam,” is live globally on Netflix every Thursday from 10 a.m. to Noon EST for the month of September and available on demand.Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announced the birth of a male gorilla, the first born at the Zoo in its 139-year history. Cleveland Metroparks has partnered with CrossCountry Mortgage for an exclusive video series featuring updates on the growth and development of the infant, and an array of other activities.
Learn how Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a leader in gorilla research, care and management.
