Kudzoo and baby

Zoo Atlanta welcomes second-generation offspring of the late Willie B.

ATLANTA - Dec. 12, 2005 - Zoo Atlanta, a leader in the study of gorilla behavior, announced that Kudzoo, an 11 year-old female western lowland gorilla, gave birth on Dec. 11 at Zoo Atlanta in the late evening. Kudzoo is the eldest female offspring of beloved Zoo resident, the late Willie B.

This baby is the third living offspring born to Zoo Atlanta’s newest silverback Taz and the first offspring for mother Kudzoo. The sex of the baby is unknown, as gorilla mothers tend to hold their babies close to their bodies once they are born. Kudzoo and her new offspring are both doing fine and early indications are that the new mother and her baby are already bonding.

Guests can visit Kudzoo and her baby in Zoo Atlanta’s Ford African Rain Forest on days when the weather is above 50 degrees. Sixteen gorillas have been born and mother-reared at Zoo Atlanta since 1988. With a total of 23 western lowland gorillas, Zoo Atlanta cares for the second largest gorilla collection in North America including five gorillas that are over 40 years of age and considered geriatric. Zoo Atlanta is also currently expecting another of Willie B’s daughters, 7-year-old Sukari, to give birth in Spring 2006.

Click here for still images and regular updates on the baby’s progress.

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