LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In celebration of World Gorilla Day, staff at the Louisville Zoo gave an update on a baby gorilla who was transferred there from the Woodland Park Zoo.
Baby gorilla Abeo (ah-beh-OH), which means “bringer of happiness” in a language spoken in West Africa, was rejected by his birth mother in Seattle. To provide him with natural socialization, he was transferred to the zoo in Kentucky.
Louisville Zoo general curator Ron Evans said in a video Tuesday that Abeo successfully bonded with his gorilla foster mom, Kweli. He said the first step to the introduction was taking him out of his private enclosure while he was sleeping and placing him in Kweli's enclosure. Evans said it took a few minutes but Kweli eventually picked him up "and they've been together ever since."
Abeo is now living with Kweli and another successful foster of hers, 8-year-old Kindi.
"We're really proud of all the human foster moms who helped raise little Abeo until we could get him in with Kweli," Evans said in the video. "They did an excellent job taking care of him physically, giving him his nutrition, helping him learn how to be a gorilla before going in with Kweli."
Officials said that while the decision was tough, they knew Abeo needed to be with other gorillas who could care for him and raise him as their own.
“While we hoped for a different outcome, this is the best decision for the baby gorilla’s long-term benefits and well-being,” said Martin Ramirez, Woodland Park Zoo interim senior director of animal care.
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."