Overview

• Cecil, a 26-year-old western lowland silverback from the Louisville Zoo, was shown to visitors in a Wednesday preview.
• Zoo officials say his official public debut is planned for Saturday as the gorilla exhibit welcomes back the public this weekend.
• After arriving in early August, Cecil completed quarantine and weeks of visual introductions before supervised mingling with the zoo’s three females.
• Keepers describe Cecil as even-tempered, and zoologists hope his integration will lead to offspring in the coming years.
• The rollout comes after a 2024 city audit criticized the zoo’s safety and facilities and after longtime CEO Tanya Peterson retired in August.