Franklin Park Zoo’s Gorilla Little Joe To Leave Boston

Little Joe, a 33-year-old western lowland gorilla at the Franklin Park Zoo, is getting ready to bid farewell to Boston.

While the zoo did not disclose where Little Joe will be transferred, zoo officials said he'll go to an accredited institution, “where it is hoped that he will be successful in starting his own family,” according to a CBS Boston report.

The western lowland gorilla is considered an endangered species threatened by disease, poaching, and mining in its native habitat, zoo officials noted. They are found in Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Angola, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria.

Little Joe's move follows recommendations by the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP).

“This news is bittersweet to share as we will all miss Little Joe, but we are also excited for this opportunity for him to lead his own troop and start a family, which is important for the preservation of the species,” Zoo New England president and CEO Stephanie Brinley said in a statement shared with CBS Boston.

This week, the zoo is inviting visitors to sign cards for Little Joe as part of the zoo's farewell.

Little Joe is set to leave Boston over the next few months. In his place, the zoo will receive two young gorillas this spring. One of them is an 8-year-old named Moke that is currently housed at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Later this year, a male silverback gorilla will arrive in Boston from another zoo.

According to CBS Boston, the two young gorillas will join a 5-year-old gorilla at the Franklin Park Zoo named Pablo to form a “bachelor group,” zoo officials noted.

As 7NEWS Boston noted, Little Joe escaped the Franklin Park Zoo in 2003. When he was loose, he attacked a 2-year-old girl and her babysitter. Little Joe was on the run for over 90 minutes before police tranquilized him and returned him to the zoo.