Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Kitoko in January, 2026. Photo by Beth Keplinger/Woodland Park Zoo Be sure to swing by Woodland Park Zoo and share good vibes and feels with 6-year-old Kitoko (ki-TOE-koh), a male western lowland gorilla, as he gets ready to embark on a new chapter of his life by moving to a new home. The last day to see Kitoko and show him some love will be Monday, August 31. Kitoko, whose name means beautiful or handsome in the African languages, Lingala (lin-gah-lah)/Kikongo (key-KON-goh), has reached the subadult stage of a gorilla when males naturally leave their natal group (birth family) or are driven out to form bachelor groups with other young adult males. This "bachelor stage" of life can last several years while they learn from each other how to navigate gorilla society before eventually maturing into a silverback (adult male) who may be able to lead his own group of females and start a family.  April 2022, Kit...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Yola is a young adult now. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Editor’s note: Big thanks to gorilla keepers Judy Sievert, Kate Gordon, Stephanie Payne and Tesh Hunter for contributing so much to this update! The warmer temperatures of spring mean more play time for the youngest members of Kwame’s western lowland gorilla family—two of whom recently celebrated birthdays. Zuna (daughter of Nadiri and Kwame) is now 4 years old, and big brother Kitoko (son of Uzumma and Kwame) just turned 5. These siblings are still enthusiastic playmates but their “growing up gorilla” experiences are shaping their budding personalities in very different ways! Zuna is a very independent and clever girl! She is everyone’s sweetheart (both among the gorillas and the gorilla keepers), gets along with all members of her family and is quite socially savvy. She is confident enough to spend time by herself and sometimes in the company of her “bestie” (a piece ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Our gorilla care team has lovingly named this baby Abeo, which means "bringer of happiness" in the Yoruba language. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren A week ago, Woodland Park Zoo announced its critical decision to move its 1½-month-old male gorilla to another zoo to ensure he is raised by gorillas and grows up as a gorilla. He has safely arrived at his new home, Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, where he will be socialized with a foster gorilla mom and multigenerational family of gorillas. Woodland Park Zoo’s gorilla care team has lovingly named the baby gorilla, Abeo (ah-beh-OH), which means “bringer of happiness” in Yoruba, after a language spoken in West Africa. This is Kweli, an experienced, nurturing mother and surrogate. Photo courtesy of Louisville Zoo. Every precautionary measure was taken for the baby gorilla’s travel to reduce his health exposure and ensure his safe arrival. A Woodland Park Zoo gorilla caretaker and veterinarian accomp...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo In a move to ensure a baby gorilla is raised by gorillas and grows as a gorilla, Woodland Park Zoo has made a critical decision to move its 1½-month-old gorilla boy to another zoo so he can be raised by a surrogate gorilla mom and socialized with a multigenerational family of gorillas. The baby, who has not yet been named, was born June 28 at Woodland Park Zoo to first-time mom Akenji and dad Kwame. Because Akenji hadn’t shown any interest in caring for her baby, human intervention was necessary; gorilla staff have been providing 24/7 care for the baby since shortly after he was born. Further attempts to unite mom and baby were unsuccessful. For the last several weeks, the focus has been on training three experienced gorilla moms living at the zoo as potential surrogates. Although Woodland Park Zoo has a remarkable track record with hand- and assist-rearing babies before successfully introducing t...

Posted by Woodland Park Zoo Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The newest little gorilla baby is healthy, thriving, and growing! A lot of you have been asking for an update on our baby gorilla. You may recall 22-year-old western lowland gorilla Akenji gave birth to a baby boy on June 28 . She showed no interest in the infant after he was born or in the following days, so our expert gorilla care staff has been caring for the baby 24/7 and providing everything this baby needs to get off to a good start in life. "Our team in the gorilla unit is dedicated to providing this infant with the care, nutrition and safety he needs at this early stage, and we are continuing to assess the female gorilla surrogate options. Having a gorilla mother-figure is critical to his development and wellbeing, and we are committed to finding the right match so that this baby can thrive and grow up gorilla." says Martin Ramirez, Senior Director of Animal Care and General Cur...

Posted  by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Baby blep! This 2-week old boy is thriving under the care of our expert gorilla staff Woodland Park Zoo’s newest baby, a gorilla born on June 28, is healthy, growing and thriving thanks to round-the-clock care by his human caregivers. Gorilla Akenji, the newborn’s 22-year-old first-time mother, has not shown any signs of interest in the baby who remains under 24/7 hands-on care by our expert gorilla staff; the baby, a boy, has not yet been named. For months leading up to his birth, the gorilla staff provided maternal behavioral training to prepare Akenji for motherhood. However, within an hour after Akenji gave birth, the animal care team had to intervene for the baby’s safety and well-being. “Despite our attempts over the past couple weeks to unite Akenji and her baby and encourage bonding, she has repeatedly turned away from him. Because of the trust and bonding we have with each of the gorillas, we can read h...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications That face! Welcome to the world, little one! Photo by Rachel Vass/Woodland Park Zoo Following a nine-month gestation period, the release of ultrasound images, a birth watch that began two weeks ago, and a flurry of excitement around its pregnant gorilla, Woodland Park Zoo is proud to announce that Akenji gave birth on June 28, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. (PT) to her first baby…and it’s a boy! The zoo’s gorilla and animal health staff closely observed the birth and post-birth behaviors in the off-view bedrooms. Unfortunately, Akenji did not show appropriate maternal behaviors despite the months-long maternal skills training the gorilla care team provided. Within an hour after delivery, the animal care team intervened for the baby’s safety and well-being. A neonatal exam was performed to ensure the yet-to-be-named infant was healthy. “The average weight for a gorilla at birth is 4 pounds and we’re pleased to report our new boy weighs 4.4 pounds. His vital s...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Akenji's pregnancy is at full term and she could give birth at any time now! Last month, we shared with you Akenji's ultrasound images and a Q & A with fascinating details about her pregnancy and expected delivery. This week, the birth watch has officially started for her! A birth watch for great apes typically begins a week before the birth window opens and can span two to three weeks. The gestation period for gorillas is about nine months. The birth watch means Akenji is now under 24-hour monitoring. Overnight, zoo volunteers observe Akenji remotely on cams installed in her bedroom, collect data such as behavioral changes and sleeping pattern and look for any telltale signs that might indicate the onset of labor. A gorilla keeper is on call to respond in case Akenji goes into labor in the middle of the night; during the day, routine care for all the zoo’s gorillas continues with an ex...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Akenji is expecting her first baby soon! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Recently, we shared with you that Akenji, one of our female western lowland gorillas who will be 23 years old in July, is pregnant with her first baby With a birth just weeks away now—expected by the end of June or early July—we are thrilled to share for the first time, stunning ultrasound video images and stills of the little gorilla baby that will soon be joining Akenji’s extended gorilla family.  Watch video: https://youtu.be/tNNSdWwqDEQ The ultrasound procedure was overseen by Woodland Park Zoo associate veterinarian Dr. Yousuf Jafarey, and the images from it are just amazing! We can see a little hand (in a sort of “fist-bump” pose), ribs, a beating heart and some general wiggling around. Dr. Yousuf Jafarey, our associate veterinarian who oversaw the successful ultrasound procedure, tells us it's OK to interpret the above image as Akenji's ba...