Pinga was confiscated in 2004 in a small village in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pinga first lived for several years in a small sanctuaryr with six other gorilla orphans in Rwanda. In 2011 this group was transported by helicopter to GRACE. GRACE had just been established at that time, specifically for Grauer gorillas. Immediately upon arrival, Pinga took on the role of alpha lady, which was immediately accepted by the other gorillas. Until 2017, she was the tough leader of the group! Kighoma (he is in the guardian program as well) has now taken over this role from her. In the wild, the leader of the group usually is a silverback. But because there was no adult gorilla man in the group, Pinga had temporarily taken on this role. And she was a great leader!

Pinga is the oldest of the gorillas at GRACE. She is very gentle and caring. Pinga is even a surrogate mother for almost every gorilla orphan who comes to GRACE. Because Pinga is such a good mother, new gorilla orphans do not have to be treated by the caretakers. With Pinga they immediately learn what it means to be a gorilla and how to survive. This gives the orphans a greater chance of being released into the wild one day. Pinga therefore has an essential role at GRACE.

 
 
Photo credits: © GRACE