A 20-year-old silverback gorilla has arrived at the Milwaukee County Zoo from Chicago

Azizi, a 20-year-old silverback male western lowland gorilla, arrived at the Milwaukee County Zoo on Jan. 10. He has spent the past month acclimating to his new environment and getting acquainted with the zoo's female western lowland gorillas, Dotty and Nadami.

Dotty and Nadami's family unit has lacked a silverback since Oliver died on Sept. 13. According to a statement from the zoo, "the silverback provides security, direction and group stability."

Azizi's former home was the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, where he lived in a bachelor troop, so leading a family troop is new for him. After a quarantine period — during which he was allowed to vocalize with the other gorillas — Azizi was "formally introduced" to Dotty and Nadami on Feb. 12. Zoo staff reported that introductions went well and the gorillas seem relaxed around each other.

As the three animals are considered a good genetic match by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Plan, it's likely they'll be recommended to breed later. Western lowland gorillas are native to the Congo Basin of Africa and are considered to be critically endangered.

Zoo staff expects Azizi to be viewable to the public in the Stearns Family Apes of Africa habitat in the near future.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New silverback gorilla arrives at the Milwaukee County Zoo