Zoo Knoxville's 45-year-old Western lowland gorilla Machi has moved back to Atlanta.
The zoo said Machi left for Atlanta Monday to join a group of senior gorillas in a home designed to meet the needs of agining primates.
Machi's bouts with degenerative arthritis were becoming increasingly severe, and the zoo said her limited mobility led her to become socially withdrawn with the younger, more active gorillas.
"Knowing her quality of life could be enhanced by joining a group of similarly-aged gorillas in a living space designed with age in mind, Zoo Knoxville and Zoo Atlanta agreed she could benefit from Atlanta’s expertise in caring for geriatrics," the zoo said. "Zoo Atlanta is an emerging leader in working with geriatric gorillas-a relatively new area of focus in zoological gorilla care."
Machi lived at Zoo Atlanta before moving to Knoxville in 2013 on the recommendation of the Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Plan. The gorillas are critically endangered due to habitat loss, poaching, commercial hunting and disease outbreaks.
In 2015, Machi gave birth to Ubuntu, a rambunctious young male. The zoo said it will monitor Ubuntu during this transition phase to ensure he is handling life well without his mother by his side.
Machi is being reunited with her mother, Choomba, as well as two others she has lived with before.
“Providing Machi with the care and environment that she needs at this stage of life is paramount,” said Lisa New, President and CEO of Zoo Knoxville. “It was a decision we made with a great deal of consideration with our colleagues in Atlanta. Their team has decades of experience and habitats specifically designed for geriatric care and a social group where she can thrive, which is what we all want for her.”