A male gorilla named Joshi has arrived in the forests of the Congo to begin a new life in the wild, after travelling 5,000 miles from Howletts Wild Animal Park.

Joshi, a 30-stone, 13-year-old male born at Howletts to parents Kijo and Shumba, was transferred as part of the Back To The Wild initiative, which we run in collaboration with Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve.

Joshi’s enclosure is next to that of two orphan gorillas, Bomassa and Loukelela, and allowing these gorillas to get to know each other is crucial, as they will be released together to the island, and eventually to the entire Lésio-Louna reserve.

Interactions were calm and positive with a few nervous vocalisations from the smaller boys, which is to be expected. So far, the team on the ground could not be happier with how the introduction is progressing.

Our team documented Joshi’s journey to share with you all. The first video is available to watch below. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to see the next one (we are very excited to share it with you).