Ramar



Ramar (1968 - 12th April 2018) was a western lowland gorilla who was the third oldest male western lowland gorilla resting in an American Zoo, after Ozoum and Pete, until his death on the 12th April 2018. He was born in the wild and orphaned and taken to the United States at the age of one. He lived with a human family until he was six. He was then acquired by North Carolina Zoo in 1974 and later spent time at zoos in Philadelphia and Miami. Ramar arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 1998 at age 30 on a breeding loan and quickly became a favorite among staff and guests. He was the dominant Male gorilla for 13 years, from 1999-2012. He had three children, a son, Nadaya, with Baraka in 2001; a daughter, Kamba, with Koola in 2004; and another son, Bakari, with Binti Jua in 2005. Ramar enjoyed playing with his children. He went into “semi-retirement” in 2012 after his 10 year old son, Nadaya challenged his leadership and became the new group leader.

After his retirement, Ramar became afflicted with several chronic conditions, including degenerative diseases of the heart and knees. These were treated for several years successfully and kept the amount of pain he experienced to as low as possible. In 2017, he was given an arthroscopic examination of his knees to remove tissue of meniscal and anterior cruciate ligament tears and reduce inflammation associated with his arthritis. He also received injections of a synthetic joint lubricant and platelet-rich plasma, both of which improved his mobility. He was also treated with a range of exercises to keep his joints limber, including presenting his shoulder, arm, foot and opening his mouth during physical therapy sessions.