Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Our beautiful Batu. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo is sad to share it learned today that its pregnant orangutan, Batu, has lost her baby after carrying the fetus nearly to term. An ultrasound performed this morning during an anesthetized exam unfortunately revealed the fetus was no longer viable. This was the first pregnancy for the 15-year-old orangutan and would have marked the first orangutan birth at the zoo in 35 years. Godek, also 15, was the father. “While we always prepare for worst-case scenarios, of course, this is not the outcome we expected. We had high hopes and were so excited to welcome a healthy baby to our zoo family and for Batu to enter a new chapter of motherhood. This is a monumental loss for our zoo family and our hearts are very heavy, especially for Batu and her dedicated caretakers,” said Roger Sweeney, Chief Zoological Officer at Woodland Park Zoo. “Up until recently we had been able to ...

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 Elizabeth Bacher Beautiful Batu is preparing to become a mother! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo In June we shared the happy news that, for the first time in 35 years, one of Woodland Park Zoo’s orangutans is pregnant and expecting a baby soon! Sumatran orangutan, Batu, is 14 years old and is due to give birth any day now. The father is 15-year-old Godek, who is also a Sumatran orangutan. This will be the first offspring for both of them. Thirty-five-year-old male Heran and 43-year-old female Belawan (Bela) round out our orangutan group. They live in a separate but adjacent area from Godek and Batu. Since making this exciting announcement, we have heard from many of you, offering well-wishes and asking for an update on how everything is going. So, without further ado, here are the answers to some of your questions, courtesy of our experts—orangutan keeper Laura McComesky and interim animal care manager Rachel Vass. Beautiful Batu is eating her greens and ge...

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 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 Craig Newberry, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is seeing spots after three snow leopard cubs were born on Memorial Day, May 27, 2024. These are the first snow leopard cubs to be born at the zoo since a single cub, Aibek, was born in 2017.  Marai with her newborn cubs on the cub cam, Woodland Park Zoo The cubs were born to parents Marai, 7, and Aibek, 6. This is their first litter of cubs after they were paired under the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan , a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. The mom and cubs are currently in an off-view maternity den to allow bonding and proper nursing in a quieter setting. Zoo staff closely watch the mother and cub on a den camera to watch for normal behaviors. It will be at least a couple months before the cubs are introduced to the outdoor, on-view exhibit. “As a first-time mom, Marai has amazed us with the level of care she's been giving her cub...

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Soooo cute! The Woodland Park Zoo family just got cuter with the arrival of a tiny male pudu fawn. Pudu are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America.  Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The fawn, which has yet to be named, was born May 2 to parents Ted and Maggie. The birth is the pudus' fifth offspring together since they were paired under the Pudu Species Survival Plan , a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species.  The fawn's father, Ted, is 8 years old and arrived at the zoo in 2017. The mother, Maggie, 7, came in 2018. The pair of pudu are now parents to four males and one female. All three of their previous male fawns were sent to accredited zoos across the country based on breeding recommendations created by the SSP. The female, born last year, still lives at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Megan Blandford/Wo...