Willie B.

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Willie B watching over his family at Zoo Atlanta

Willie B. was a silverback Gorilla who lived at Zoo Atlanta for 39 years, from 1961 until his death in February of 2000. When he died at the age of 41, he was the oldest Gorilla in the United States to have fathered offspring.

He fathered five gorilla babies at Zoo Atlanta: Kudzoo, Olympia, Sukari, Kidogo, and Lulu. Kidogo, the only male offspring, took on the name Willie B., Jr. after his father died, taking his place as the heir.

He was kept in isolation for 27 years, until 1988, with only a television and a tire swing to keep him company. Once moved to an outside exhibit and allowed to socialize and raise a family, he embraced his role as silverback and leader of the family.

More than 8,000 people attended the memorial ceremony held in his honor, and the zoo now has a life-size bronze statue of him on permanent display outside the Gorilla exhibit. His remains were cremated and scattered over the jungles in which he was born. The Atlanta Silverbacks soccer team is named in his honor.