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MEDIA
RELEASE
April 28, 2010
CONTACT:
Kara Bussabarger
kara.bussabarger@louisvilleky.gov
502-238-5331 (502-744-5639 Media Cell)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gorilla baby
update - Wednesday, April 28
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Gorilla baby and Louisville Zoo
Mammal Curator Candy McMahan..
Photo by Kara Bussabarger/The Louisville Zoo |
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The Zoo’s female infant baby gorilla is
continuing to improve, and the Zoo’s veterinary team says her prognosis
is good.
The infant is in an off-exhibit area in Gorilla
Forest being hand raised by staff who are physically holding and caring
for her 24 hours a day. To aid and speed recovery, she is continuing to
receive aggressive nutritional support and antibiotic therapy. She is
also on iron supplements to help with her anemia.
“She is receiving a bottle every three hours
and gaining weight. We are pleased we have gotten her into a positive
energy balance through good nutritional supply,” said Candy McMahan,
Louisville Zoo Assistant Mammal Curator. “She is developing like any
normal gorilla infant. She is bright and curious and even has four teeth
coming in—two on top and two on bottom.”
The baby also gets visual interaction time with
the other gorillas when the staff walks her around behind the scenes of
Gorilla Forest.
“We want her to understand she is still a
gorilla,” McMahan said, “so that interaction is important.”
Mom Mia Moja and adult female Kweli are
currently being housed together and male Mshindi is currently housed
separately.
BACKGROUND RECAP
Louisville Zoo’s female infant gorilla (born
February 6, 2010) suffered an injury Thursday, April 1, 2010, that
resulted in the loss of part of her left leg and broken bone near her
left hip.
It happened during a skirmish within the
family group (which consists of 21-year-old mom Mia Moja, 22-year-old
father Mshindi and 27-year-old female Kweli).
“Squabbles within a gorilla group do
happen,” Louisville Zoo Animal Curator Steve Wing said. “Gorillas
exhibit complex and dynamic relationship behaviors. It is challenging to
identify the reason for this occurrence. Mia Moja, Mshindi, Kweli and
the baby had been together sharing the same space through the pregnancy
and since the birth and doing well.”
BABY BACKGROUND
The baby was born February 6 to western lowland
gorilla Mia Moja. She was the first gorilla baby born in North America
this year and the second gorilla ever born at the Louisville Zoo. (The
first was male Azizi born to Makari on December 4, 2003, a year after
Gorilla Forest opened in May of 2002.
MOM BACKGROUND
Mother-raised and small-framed Mia Moja was
born March 18, 1989, at Zoo Atlanta and arrived at the Louisville Zoo in
2005. This is Mia’s second offspring. Her first was Olympia who was born
in 1996 and sired by famous gorilla Willie B. Olympia resides at Zoo
Atlanta.
DAD BACKGROUND
Silverback Mshindi was born October 17, 1987,
at St. Louis Zoo. He was hand raised and arrived at the Louisville Zoo
in 2005. This is his first offspring.
KWELI BACKGROUND
Kweli is a female who was born at Cincinnati
Zoo in 1983 and arrived in Louisville in April of 2008. She is mother to
Kicho (Louisville Zoo) and also has offspring at Pittsburgh Zoo and
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo.
***
The
Louisville Zoo, a non-profit organization and state zoo of Kentucky,
is dedicated to bettering the bond between people and our planet by
providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for
visitors, and leadership in scientific research and conservation
education. The Zoo is accredited by the American Association of
Museums (AAM) and by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
***
Get
up-to-date information about the Zoo’s upcoming Glacier Run exhibit
by checking out our new
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