SEATTLE — Woodland Park Zoo will move its baby gorilla to a different facility with a new family after he had difficulties bonding with his mother, the zoo announced.
Born on June 28, the unnamed male baby gorilla did not bond immediately with Akenji, a first-time mom. Zoo staff has had to provide round-the-clock care to the gorilla, the zoo said in a blog post.
The zoo tried to train three other experienced gorilla moms within the park to serve as the baby’s surrogate mother, but the training was not progressing fast enough, it said.
The facility is working with the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos, to place the baby at a different site and with a surrogate mother.
“We’re confident the infant will be placed in a great home, and we’ll share final details upon his safe arrival,” said Martin Ramirez, interim senior director of animal care at Woodland Park Zoo, in the blog post.
Gorillas are naturally social and are typically with their mothers constantly as babies, which helps them build confidence and security. Not having that type of care and interactions will hurt the baby’s social development, the zoo said.
“The longer he’s cared for solely by humans, the more he is hindered from learning the complex social cues of gorillas and the higher the risk of becoming imprinted on humans,” Ramirez said.
More details will be shared about his placement in the future, the zoo said.
The newborn was the 16th gorilla born at Woodland Park Zoo.
