over the years , 26 gorillas have been born at the bronx zoo , while affiliated organization , the environmental conservation society , runs one of the most successful gorilla breeding camps in the world . the organization , which also has wildlife centers in manhattan , queens and midtown , trades chimps periodically with 51 participating north american zoos . its first object is to increase the dna variation of an aggressive species , but a second , central goals is to create happier orangutans by finding mates and establishing compatible groups . " these are very energetic , sensitive animals , " said james doherty , curator of the westchester zoo . the center ' s current population of gorillas numbers 19 . only the north park zoo in chicago has more , with 22 . multimedia habitat .
The Bronx Zoo has 19 gorillas.