Extremely rare set of western lowland gorilla twins reaches significant milestone

ATLANTA– Oct. 31, 2006 – Zoo Atlanta’s extremely rare set of gorilla twins turned one-year old today. The twins born on Oct. 31, 2005, to mom, 22-year-old Kuchi and dad, 17-year-old Taz, are thriving and becoming more independent.

The male twin known as Kali and the female Kazi were named through an online contest supported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kali and Kazi mean “strong” and “treasure” respectively. This set of names was identified because gorillas are physically powerful and the birth of twins is a treasure for the Atlanta metropolitan region.

The birth of twins is extremely rare. Only seven incidences of twin gorilla births in North American Zoos have been recorded since 1966, with only three sets surviving. Kali and Kazi are the only twins in a captive population to be entirely mother-reared.

“The decision to allow Kuchi to raise both of her offspring was a difficult one and unprecedented,” said Dr. Tara Stoinski, Zoo Atlanta manager of conservation partnerships. “But we decided to stick to our philosophy that mother-rearing is best. With this success we have established a new precedent for the management of gorilla offspring in zoos.”

Gorillas have a high infant mortality rate, approximately 20% for the first year of life. This one-year milestone reached by Kali and Kazi is significant and at this point in their life, the likelihood of survival is greater.

“Reaching this milestone is significant in the lives of these gorillas and speaks to the quality of care provided from both our animal management and veterinary staff,” said Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta president and CEO. “Kali and Kazi have taught us so much and visitors will enjoy watching them grow up for years to come.”

Guests can currently visit Kali and Kazi and two other gorilla infants Macy Baby and Gunther in The Ford African Rain Forest. Seventeen gorillas have been born and mother-reared at Zoo Atlanta since 1988. With a total of 24 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.

Photos and regular updates on the progress of all of the gorilla babies and their mothers are posted regularly on our gorilla baby update page.

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