Amani honors her nickname “the lovable”! The name Amani means “peace” in Swahili. This name fits her perfectly. Amani is the most peaceful gorilla in the group, despite everything she has gone through. Amani does not argue or tries to steal food from anyone, and when disagreement arises, she runs away.

In 2009, Amani was confiscated as a baby at Goma airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Poachers were looking for someone to sell her as a pet. Exhausted and dehydrated, she was tucked away in a plastic bag under a pile of leaves.

Amani also had an inflamed bullet wound in her knee. A silent witness of the shooting that killed her mother and the rest of the family for bushmeat. Amani was left alive to be sold… Fortunately, Amani was confiscated and could be transferred to GRACE. Amani was one of the first gorillas to arrive at GRACE.

In the gorilla group at GRACE, Amani is a female low in the rank. Sadly, Amani still has severe knee problems. The gunshot wound sustained by the poachers has caused considerable damage. Her caregivers think she will have to live with these injuries for the rest of her life. At GRACE, Amani receives the best care and can live her life with other gorillas.

 
 
Photo credits: © GRACE