Baby Gorilla Born at Zoo Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA — Kudzoo, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, gave birth to a daughter on Sunday at Zoo Atlanta.

The newborn is the third offspring of Kudzoo and 27-year-old silverback Taz and is a granddaughter of Kudzoo’s famous father, the late Willie B.

“Kudzoo’s baby is the newest ambassador for a species that ranks among our planet’s most endangered wildlife,” said zoo president and CEO Raymond King.

The western lowland gorilla is classified as critically endangered. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, over the last 25 years, poaching, illegal hunting for the bushmeat trade, habitat loss and diseases such as Ebola have reduced western lowland gorilla populations by 60 percent.

Kudzoo’s newborn is the 23rd gorilla born at Zoo Atlanta since the opening of the Ford African Rain Forest in 1988.

Zoo Atlanta houses one of the largest populations of gorillas in North America and is also home to three of the world’s oldest gorillas.

Image Zoo Atlanta