LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville zoo has welcomed an infant gorilla for fostering after its mother wasn't bonding with him.
Abeo, who's nearly two months old, came to Louisville's award-winning Gorilla Forest habitat after being born at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington on June 28.
His name means "bringer of happiness" in Yoruba, a language spoken in West Africa.
Officials said his mother, Akenji, wasn't able to bond with him and when training with another foster wasn't moving quick enough, the Woodland Zoo began searching for a suitable home for Abeo.
The Louisville Zoo's 40-year-old female gorilla, Kweli, was chosen to be Abeo's new foster mom due to her success with another foster, Kindi. Abeo will make his public debut after successfully being introduced to his new home and Kweli.
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"While we always hope for a natural mother-infant bond, circumstances sometimes require alternative solutions for the well-being of the gorilla," Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney said. "Our Gorilla Forest care team's successful work with Kindi and Kweli stands as a testament to their expertise."
Kindi, who is now 8 years old, was orphaned after her mother died the day after giving birth. Maloney said she is "thriving" in her family group and showing all the proper and healthy gorilla behaviors.
Maloney said the care team will mirror the process that was implemented with Kindi in 2016. It includes round-the-clock care for the new infant including feeding, socializing, and using behavioral cues like vocalizations of a gorilla mother.
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Once Abeo can navigate the habitat and respond to training cues, staff will begin introducing him to the adult gorillas -- at first through a mesh panel known as a "howdy door."
After that he will have closely-monitored bonding sessions with Kweli before being integrated into the existing gorilla troop, which is comprised of 42-year-old Casey, 35-year-old Paki, Kweli, 8-year-old Kindi and 11-year-old Patty -- who is the newest gorilla to the group.
The group will rotate with bachelor gorillas Bengati, Jelani, Cecil, and Kicho, officials said.
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