Zoo Atlanta welcomes new baby western lowland gorilla
Shalia with the infant (Jodi Carrigan/Zoo Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Zoo Atlanta has welcomed the newest addition to the family, and it shares the lineage of the city's most famous gorilla.
The zoo announced that Shalia, a 20-year-old western lowland gorilla, gave birth to a baby Monday.
While the infant was born about two weeks before the zoo's original anticipated birth schedule, they say it appears to be healthy and strong and is nursing normally.
The baby, whose sex has not been confirmed yet, is the 25th gorilla born at Zoo Atlanta since they opened their Ford African Rain Forest - 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.
The newborn is also the first offspring of 22-year-old Willie B. Jr., the only son of the legendary Willie B., who died in 2000. Willie B. was an icon of the zoo that generations of Atlantans grew up visiting.
Shalia holding the infant close (Cassie Moews/Zoo Atlanta)
"The Willie B. legacy is a uniquely Atlanta tradition. Generations of Atlantans grew up with Willie B. and later his children and grandchildren, making connections not only with gorillas but also with a story that has become symbolic of the evolution of Zoo Atlanta," said the zoo's CEO and President Raymond B. King. "We are thrilled to see that legacy continue and to welcome a newborn ambassador for a critically endangered species."
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 endangered western lowland gorilla species. The animals have seen their population plummet in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease.
Willie B., Jr.’s four sisters – Kudzoo, Olympia, Sukari, and Lulu – have also helped support the endangered population. Kudzoo, Sukari, and Lulu continue to reside at the Atlanta zoo with their own children. Olympia has a son and currently lives at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
Shalia (Zoo Atlanta)
The zoo expects to celebrate the birth of the baby soon and also commemorate the upcoming 35th anniversary of Willie B.'s first days outdoors at the Ford African Rain Forest.