SEATTLE — The baby gorilla rejected by his mother at the Woodland Park Zoo arrived safely at his new home in Kentucky, the zoo said in a release Tuesday.
The baby gorilla, named Abeo (ah-beh-OH) which means “bringer of happiness” in a language spoken in West Africa, will be socialized with a foster gorilla mom and a multigenerational family of gorillas at the Louisville Zoo.
Kweli (kway-lee), a 40-year-old experienced mother and foster, has been chosen to be Abeo's foster mom, according to the zoo. She lives in Louisville Zoo’s award-winning Gorilla Forest with family members: 42-year-old silverback (adult male gorilla) Casey; and females, 35-year-old Paki, 11-year-old Patty and 8-year-old Kindi. The family group is on exhibit rotation with a bachelor group at the zoo.
Officials said they took precautionary measures to reduce Abeo's health exposure before the baby arrived at his new home.
“Kweli is a super experienced, proven mother and foster, and our silverback, Casey, is a big, accepting softie who is a perfect foster dad," said Ron Evans, Louisville Zoo general curator. "Our other adult females, Paki and Patty, have tons of experience around kids, and our youngster, Kindi, who was fostered as an infant, will benefit greatly experiencing a fostering situation as she nears adulthood. It’s a feather bed of a foster group."
Abeo was born June 28 to Akenji, a first-time mom, and dad Kwame. Zoo staffers were caring for Abeo "round the clock" because Akenji was not showing interest in caring for her baby. At that point, the zoo started training three of its experienced gorillas to become surrogates but officials said progress was not fast enough for the well-being of Abeo.
Last week the Woodland Park Zoo announced the decision to move the male gorilla to another zoo to ensure he is raised by gorillas.
“As the baby was growing and reaching important developmental milestones, we were racing against the clock," said Martin Ramirez, Woodland Park Zoo interim senior director of animal care. "For his long-term benefits and well-being, we couldn’t further delay the critical need for him to be cared for directly by gorillas or take the risk of him becoming imprinted on humans."
The zoo said in a release it worked with the Gorilla Species Survival Plan to locate a new home and suitable family situation for Abeo.
“While we hoped for a different outcome, this is the best decision for the baby gorilla’s long-term benefits and well-being,” Ramirez said.
According to the Woodland Park Zoo, an infant gorilla needs to constantly be with its mother to give the baby confidence and a sense of security. In a release, the zoo said raising a baby gorilla "needs to be gorilla-centric from the start."