Gorilla Preserve - A Troop on the Hill

A stop on San Francisco Zoo: Exhibit by Exhibit, a free self-guided tour.

Ahead is the Jones Family Gorilla Preserve, nearly an acre of grass, trees and rocky outcrops for a family troop of western lowland gorillas. When it opened in 1980 as Gorilla World, it was one of the first naturalistic gorilla habitats in the country, paid for by a federal grant that also built Koala Crossing and the Primate Discovery Center.

A troop has one adult male, the silverback, who leads the group, settles squabbles and protects the others. The zoo's troop is managed through the Species Survival Plan, a program that matches gorillas across accredited zoos to keep the population healthy and genetically diverse.

In Central Africa, western lowland gorillas are critically endangered because of habitat loss, hunting and disease. Look for the gorillas resting in the grass or sitting by the rocks; they spend much of the day eating leaves, stems and fruit.

Getting here: Continue south past Giraffe Lodge, Acacia Plaza and the African Aviary to the gorilla viewing area.

Did you know?: Every gorilla's nose print - the pattern of wrinkles around its nostrils - is unique, and field researchers use it to tell individuals apart.

Photo op: Zoom in on faces from the viewing area; a silverback's silver saddle shows best when he turns side-on.

For kids: Watch a gorilla's hands. They have fingernails and thumbs a lot like ours. Try picking something up the way a gorilla does.

Nearby: The closest restrooms are by the South Lawn and Gail's Fragrance Garden, a short walk east, or back at the Entry Village.

More on Wikipedia: Western lowland gorilla · Species Survival Plan

Gorilla Preserve - A Troop on the Hill

Stops on this tour