Woodland Park Zoo Blog

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...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos and video by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren Kitoko, seen here with mom Uzumma, is 6 months old now.  It’s time for an update on our wonderful western lowland gorilla family, with the latest scoop from dedicated gorilla keepers, Stephanie and Judy! We wanted to start with the newest family member, little Kitoko. The 6-month-old baby boy—born to Uzumma and Kwame on March 4—is doing great and keeping his mama on her toes. You may recall that he was injured in a family scuffle several months ago, but he has recovered from that and continues to be right on track with physical and developmental milestones. 6-month-old Kitoko is bright-eyed and curious. He can often be seen reaching for and grasping everything he can get his hands on, including pieces of solid food that Uzumma may have dropped.  Bright-eyed and curious about everything around him, our awesome gorilla keepers tell us Kitoko seems to already recognize his name—lo...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Uzumma enjoying the spring sunshine with her 2-month old baby. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We know you’ve been waiting for an update on mama Uzumma, her baby, dad Kwame and the rest of our Western lowland gorilla family—so here it is, just in time for Uzumma’s first Mother’s Day! Big thanks to gorilla keepers Stephanie and Judy for providing so many rich and descriptive details for us to share … and we’re happy to begin with the news that everything is going great and everyone seems healthy and content! WATCH VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/q40AGP4AcXA The group continues to do well with the new baby, who is about 2 months old now and will be named very soon. All the gorillas are still giving Uzumma lots of space when she needs it, and reverence. It’s common for members of a gorilla family to show a lot of respect for a new mother and infant—elevating their status in the group hierarchy. And seeing as Uzumma was alr...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Uzumma gave birth to a baby boy in the wee hours of March 4 and we’re happy to report that mama and baby both appear healthy and are doing well. Uzumma holding her 4-day-old baby in her arms. Here are some of the first pictures we’ve been able to get since the birth—and you can see the heartwarming bond that’s developing between Uzumma and her newborn, who is not yet named. This baby is the first between 12-year-old Uzumma and 20-year-old Kwame. This is also Uzumma's first time as a mom and so far she is rocking it! Our dedicated gorilla keepers, who know them best, tell us that Uzumma is a wonderful first-time mother. They say she’s gaining more confidence each day and tending to all her baby’s needs. She’s very attentive—just like her mother Amanda was with her—and hasn’t put the baby down once. As for the tiny gorilla, he is bright-eyed and seems to be observing...

Posted by Stephanie Payne-Jacobs, gorilla keeper 39-year-old Vip, named for being a Very Important Primate, is back home in his exhibit after a long recovery. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo After a year of challenges and changes in the gorilla unit, we have much to celebrate this month. The first is the return of 39-year-old male, Vip, to the East gorilla exhibit, along with 33-year-old female, Jumoke. Vip, who is the father of seven daughters, including our own 17-year-old Akenji, 10-year-old Uzumma and nearly 3-year-old Yola, has been off view for more than a year now—since June of 2017. That’s when he underwent a lifesaving surgery due to an infection within a long-established umbilical hernia. Vip was born with this hernia in 1979, and it had remained stable since he came to Woodland Park Zoo in 1996. Vip underwent lifesaving surgery in 2017. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo In the summer of 2017, his care team noticed a subtle change in t...