Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ) shared some heartwarming news this week. The male baby gorilla born at the zoo in June is now being happily cared for by a gorilla foster mom, according to zoo officials.
Baby Abeo (ah-BAY-oh) was transferred from WPZ to Kentucky’s Louisville Zoo in August to ensure he receives the long-term benefits of growing as a gorilla by being socialized with a foster gorilla mom and multigenerational family of gorillas.
Abeo with Kewli. Photo courtesy of Louisville Zoo
Connection made
Since his arrival, Abeo has made a healthy connection with his foster mom, Kweli (kway-lee). The pair recently made their public debut together in Louisville Zoo’s award-winning Gorilla Forest where Kweli, 40 years old, successfully fostered another gorilla baby. Kindi, Louisville Zoo’s now 8-year-old female gorilla, was orphaned shortly after birth.
Abeo was born June 28 at Woodland Park Zoo to first-time mom Akenjiand and dad Kwame, who has fathered other WPZ gorillas. When Akenji showed no interest in caring for her newborn, Abeo was placed under round-the-clock care by zookeepers. However, being cared for by zookeepers is not ideal for gorilla infants, who need gorilla parents to nurture them and teach them to be part of a gorilla family. The zoo attempted to have other WPZ gorillas foster Abeo, but zoo staff said in August that those foster mom-baby bonding weren’t progressing fast enough.
Readying Abeo to join a troop
Kweli and Abeo are doing well together.
“Kweli has been an exemplary foster mom, first with Kindi and now with Abeo,” said Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney in a news release. “We are incredibly proud of Kweli’s care and her attentiveness. We are looking forward to watching Abeo grow and thrive with the family troop at Gorilla Forest.”
The Louisville primate team had some work to do to place Abeo in the care of Kweli.
For over a month, the team has provided round-the-clock care for Abeo, including feeding and socializing him using vocal and behavioral cues similar to those of a gorilla mother. After meeting key milestones, including responding to behavioral cues and navigating the habitat, Abeo was introduced to Kweli through closely monitored bonding.
In the coming weeks, Abeo and Kweli will be integrated with the rest of the gorilla troop that, includes silverback Casey (42 years old), adult females Paki (35 years old) and Patty (11 years old), and sub-adult female Kindi (8 years old). The group will rotate on exhibit with bachelor gorillas Bengati, Jelani, Cecil, and Kicho.
Abeo at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo
WPZ cheers from afar
Zookeepers at Woodland Park Zoo are celebrating Abeo’s progress.
“This is how it should be for a baby gorilla—in the direct care of a gorilla and socialized with a family of gorillas,” said Woodland Park Zoo Interim Senior Director of Animal Care Martin Ramirez in a release. “Our zoo family is so grateful to Louisville Zoo and their dedicated gorilla experts. All the way from the Pacific Northwest, we and our community will continue to enjoy watching Abeo grow to be a confident and secure gorilla.”
For updates on Abeo’s progress, visit Louisville Zoo’s dedicated blog at louisvillezoo.org/
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