Woodland Park Zoo Blog

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 Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo "Hello down there!" The view from the top of the trees in the east gorilla yard includes the Olympic range and the top of Space Needle. On behalf of our gorilla keepers and the gorillas themselves, we’d like to send a heartfelt thank you and shout-out of gratitude to our AMAZING Exhibits team! This talented crew has spent nearly a month refreshing the structures in the east yard where western lowland gorilla Kwame and his family spend much of their time. (The gorillas spent time in their indoor and outdoor behind the scenes areas while the Exhibits team worked their magic.) The exhibit refresh included repairing and repainting two huge trees (25 and 30 feet tall), restringing hundreds of feet of vines and installing new hammocks for the gorillas to lounge on. On the left, a member of our Exhibits crew works on a platform supported by special scaffolding to put the finishing touches on...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Kwame shares a "smooch" with daughter Zuna as Yola looks on. We are lucky in Seattle to have two family groups of western lowland gorillas at Woodland Park Zoo—each led by its own silverback male. A couple weeks ago we gave you an update on silverback Nadaya’s group . So now it’s time to check in with silverback Kwame and his family. Kwame, who is 23 years old, lives with females Uzumma (15), Nadiri (27), Akenji (21), and Yola (7), plus the two youngsters, his 3-year-old son (with Uzumma) Kitoko and 2-year-old daughter (with Nadiri) Zuna. Kwame is a wonderful, attentive father and a steady, protective silverback for his family. Over the last few years, Kwame has proven to be a wonderful and attentive father to Kitoko and Zuna as well as a steady, protective, and calming presence for the females in his group—exactly what a silverback should be for his family. Our gorilla keepers describe...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications   Kitoko loves to climb! It's a skill he learned from his mom, Uzumma. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Many of you already know that we now have two Western lowland gorilla family groups here at Woodland Park Zoo, each led by its own silverback. And both are continuing to do really well! Nadaya is a spectacular silverback! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Silverback Nadaya is one of three gorillas we welcomed earlier this summer to form a new family group with 37-year old Jumoke, who had been living alone since Vip (an elderly silverback who was her mate) died last year. This is 21-year-old Nadaya’s first time as the head of his own group of females and he is making great strides as he learns how to be an adept leader. In addition to Jumoke, Nadaya’s group includes females Olympia (26-year-old) and Jamani (22). In the rare instance when he might "get on the wrong side" of one of them, all three femal...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZUNA! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We are celebrating a big milestone for the littlest member of our western lowland gorilla family—and for her mother, Nadiri too. Zuna turns 1 year old in a few days, and it’s been quite a year for this feisty little girl! Nadiri didn't initially pick up her newborn so our amazing gorilla keepers immediately stepped up, providing round-the-clock care for baby Zuna's first days. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Beginnings Zuna came into this world on January 29, 2021 —the second baby for Nadiri, and the first between her and dad, Kwame. It was a bit of a bumpy start, though, for both mother and daughter. Nadiri didn’t initially pick up her baby to nurse. So shortly after birth, gorilla keepers and veterinary staff stepped in to provide round-the-clock care for the baby including bottle feeding her human infant formula, keeping her warm and providing lots...