The Famous Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Cantsbee passes away

A male silverback named Cantsbee lived in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. It was assumed that he had passed away when he vanished. He turned 38 years old on Monday, the 14th, and was born in 1978. Dian Fossey named and examined two gorillas before Cantsbee, the other being an elderly female named Poppy. Scientists surmise that he died naturally because poachers did not kill him, as illegal hunting has really become rare in Rwanda.

President of the Atlanta, Georgia-based Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Tara Stoinski, claims that Cantsbee was the longest-living male ever documented. Considering that this specific gorilla population’s average age is in the 20s,. Fossey established the gorilla protection organization Digit Fund the same year Cantsbee was born. Following Fossey’s 1985 murder, it was renamed in her honor.

For conservation, Cantsbee has left behind an incredible legacy. He was an excellent leader who ruled his tribe as the dominant male for twenty years. Because Cantsbee had produced more children than any other gorilla that science was aware of, he made up the largest group that any scientist had ever seen. Although there were roughly 65 gorillas in Cantsbee’s troop during his peak, most gorillas only live in groups of ten or less.

In addition, Cantsbee is recognized for having raised Gacurasi, one of his kids, following the early death of the boy’s mother. Additionally, Stoinksi recalls seeing Cantbee tend to six babies at one point while their moms went out to gather food.