Update on Western Lowland Gorilla "Annie" (March 21st update: Gentaro and Annie are living together)

Added on March 21, 2026: Gentaro and Annie living together

As previously announced, Gentaro and Annie are only allowed to live together on days when the zoo is closed.
Since our last announcement, we have also lived together on February 24th, and March 9th and 16th.

Although Gentaro had a slight cold on February 24th, we were able to complete our cohabitation without any injuries for the first time.

During their cohabitation on March 9th, both dogs seemed to have improved their ability to maintain a comfortable distance from each other. The tension between them seemed to have eased, and they appeared to be keeping a good distance from one another.
Although Gentaro frequently engaged in display behavior (showing off), we were able to successfully complete our cohabitation.

During their cohabitation on March 16th, for the first 10 minutes, just like last time, Gentaro was busy displaying his screen, while Annie watched him from a distance.
About 10 minutes into the match, Annie began to close the distance between herself and Gentaro.
Around that time, Gentaro's display of dominance intensified, and when Annie went to the corner of the enclosure, Gentaro grabbed her from behind and injured her buttocks and shoulders.
Immediately afterward, Annie managed to escape from Gentaro on her own and chased him around. After several confrontations, the situation became a stalemate, so we brought them inside one by one, ending their cohabitation.

This time, we were able to complete two periods of living together without any injuries, which seemed like a big step forward, but unfortunately, during the final period of living together, Annie was injured again.
Since this injury is in the same location as a previous one, we will temporarily suspend Annie's free-roaming time in order to maintain the hygiene of the wound.
Annie will continue to be managed as before, with free access to both her indoor and outdoor cages during the day. Additionally, the two will continue to be able to see each other through the bars when Gentaro is not out in his enclosure.

Regarding future cohabitation, we plan to wait for Annie's injuries to heal, then carefully consider and implement the best course of action for both of them.

Added February 19, 2026: Gentaro and Annie living together

With Annie's injuries largely healed, they were reunited for the second time on February 9, 2026.

Much like the first time, Gentaro grabbed Annie shortly after they moved in together and bit her in multiple places, including her left buttocks, injuring her again.
However, after that, Annie was seen successfully maintaining a certain distance from Gentaro and watching his displays (behavior showing off) from up on the artificial tree.

After careful observation, including a visual examination by a veterinarian, it was determined that Annie's injuries were not serious, so the two were placed together again on February 16th.
In this cohabitation, Gentaro did not immediately head straight for Annie, but gradually closed the distance between them.
Annie seemed to have improved her ability to keep her distance even more than before, and she watched Gentaro's display from the artificial tree with a much more calm demeanor.
This continued for about 15 minutes after the start, and as Annie got used to the situation, there were more and more scenes where she closed the distance between her and Gentaro.
Twenty minutes into the race, the two horses came face to face for the first time with no obstacles between them, and Gentaro caught Annie.
Annie sustained injuries to her back and buttocks during the incident.

During these two periods of living together, both dogs seemed to have improved considerably in terms of keeping their distance from each other.
Although there had been contact that resulted in injury, up until that point the two animals had maintained a certain distance from each other when on the ground together and were able to see each other.

Annie's injuries were not as severe as they were the first time, and even immediately after they stopped living together, she was seen approaching Gentaro through the bars.

We apologize for the concern caused by Annie's injury, but we will continue to work towards having the two dogs live together while carefully observing the condition of her injury and the condition of the two dogs.

Please note that for the time being, we plan to only allow cohabitation on days when the nursery is closed.

Update: December 28, 2025: Annie is recovering

Annie Western Lowland Gorilla we announced on December 10th, is recovering from her injury.

Therefore, from January 2, 2026, the release practice that was previously conducted on closed days will also be conducted on open days.
The time is scheduled to be after Gentaro is brought inside, but this may change depending on the weather and his health condition, so there is no set time.

We also conducted release practice on a closed day in December 2025, but there has been little progress beyond the animals being able to take one or two steps into the release area.
Therefore, even if the door to the enclosure is opened from inside the room, Annie will likely not come out into the enclosure, and you will likely not be able to see her.

Our first goal is to create an environment where Annie can feel safe going out to the enclosure.
Please wait a little while until Annie is officially released.

Update: December 10, 2025: Annie has been here for a month.

It has been a month since Annie arrived at the park.

When he first arrived at the zoo, he didn't eat much and remained quite wary, but once he began meeting Gentaro, his food intake gradually increased and he seemed to be more calm when he was near Gentaro.

Initially, the two dogs were only allowed to meet through the bars during the day, but gradually this was expanded to include nighttime viewing throughout the day.
On the first day of all-day matchmaking, we were able to observe them clasping their hands through the bars at night.
Therefore, we decided to let them live together in the enclosure on days when the park is closed.

However, as soon as they were put together, Gentaro began chasing Annie, and Annie, who was unfamiliar with the enclosure, was unable to escape and ended up being pinned down by Gentaro, who bit her limbs and other parts of her body, injuring her.

Annie then ran inside the house and fought back against Gentaro who was chasing her, and Gentaro was bitten by Annie, suffering several injuries, so their first time living together was quickly called off.

However, immediately after they started living together, Annie, despite being concerned about her injuries, would approach the bars and peek through the bars and door to see what Gentaro was doing.
As a result, the dogs have been seeing each other through the bars all day since the next day, but they continue to check in on each other just as they did before they started living together.

Gentaro has started to get used to his new environment and is enjoying being alone, but it seems that Gentaro's presence is becoming more important to Annie, as she cries out in anxiety when he goes out into the enclosure and disappears from sight.
The next time we live together will be after Annie has recovered from her injury and is in perfect condition.

We are currently conducting Annie's release practice on days when the zoo is closed, when there is as little stimulation as possible.
It is still difficult for him to go out to the enclosure on his own, only taking one or two steps, so we plan to give him time to get used to it.
Therefore, we ask for your understanding that it will be some time before Annie is released.

On days other than when the zoo is closed, Annie is free to come and go between the private outdoor cage and the indoor area during the day, allowing her to spend time wherever she likes.

Recently, Annie has been eating more food while watching Gentaro, and is responding obediently to training, so it seems she is gradually getting used to life at Ueno Zoo.

We will continue to carefully observe the relationship between the two dogs and Annie's health, and will carefully proceed with preparations for them to live together and be made public.
Please wait a little longer until it is released.

November 28, 2025: Annie after quarantine

The quarantine of Annie, a female Western Lowland Gorilla who came from Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens on November 4, 2025, ended on November 12, 2025.

When the male cub met Gentaro, who arrived at the zoo on October 27th, through the bars, he showed a relatively positive reaction, such as grooming himself and shaking his fingers with him.

From now on, we will use the days when the zoo is closed to get him used to the exhibit space, and we will monitor his condition as we move forward with living with Gentaro. Please wait a while before we make him public.

(November 18, 2025)
(December 10, 2025: Updated status)
(February 19, 2026: Updated status)
(March 21, 2026: Updated status)