Zoo Atlanta lowland gorilla Willie B. Jr. to become 1st-time father
(Zoo Atlanta)
ATLANTA - The son of Zoo Atlanta's most famous gorilla has some good news: he's going to be a first-time father next year.
The zoo announced Tuesday that 22-year-old Willie B Jr. and Shalia, a 20-year-old female in his troop, are expecting.
According to officials, the zoo's veterinary and animal care team detected the pregnancy in November and expect the baby to be born between early May and mid-June of 2023.
"We could not be more thrilled to announce that Shalia is expecting. To see Willie B., Jr. become a father is to experience a wonderful new chapter in the story of his father, who came to define Zoo Atlanta in his lifetime and who still lives large in the memories of countless people in our city," said Raymond B. King, the zoo's president and CEO. "Importantly, the infant will also be a new member of a critically endangered species that needs our help now more than ever."
The baby will be the 25th gorilla born at Zoo Atlanta since they open their Ford African Rain Forest - which is now home to one of the largest populations of gorillas in all of North America. All the babies born at the zoo have been reared by their mothers or surrogates.
As well as being a new addition to the Willie B. family legacy at the zoo, the baby will also add another number to the critically endanged western lowland gorilla species. The animals have seen their population plummet in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease.
Willie B., Jr., whose given name is Kidogo (Swahili for "a little"), is the third child and only son of the late Willie B., who died in 2000. Willie B. was an icon of the zoo who generations of Atlantans grew up visiting.
The gorilla's mother, 46-year-old Machi, now lives with another senior female in a habitat specially designed to fit the needs of senior gorillas.