SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Zoo has welcomed three male western lowland gorillas from the Dallas Zoo, marking the species’ return to the city for the first time in 35 years. The gorillas — Shana, B’wenzi and Juba, all age 23 — arrived earlier this week and will form a bachelor troop in Congo Falls, the zoo’s new two-acre gorilla habitat set to open Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.

Their transfer is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, a program that supports genetically healthy, sustainable populations of endangered species in accredited zoos. Western lowland gorillas are listed as critically endangered, facing threats including habitat loss, poaching and disease.

The zoo says the trio’s arrival represents a major milestone in its 111-year history and strengthens i

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