MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Milwaukee County Zoo's baby gorilla will be transferred to a different zoo

Lainey Seyler
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee County Zoo announced this morning that its baby female Western lowlands gorilla, Zahra, will be transferred to a different zoo. The zoo has not announced where she will go.

Naku watches over her youngster, Zahra, at the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Zahra was born in September last year.

In April, Zahra's parents died of gastrointestinal infections. Cassius was the zoo's 31-year-old dominant male gorilla, and Zahra's mother, Naku, was 17-years-old.

RELATED:Milwaukee County Zoo gorillas died from gastrointestinal infections, probably E. coli

RELATED:Cassius, a 31-year-old gorilla at the Milwaukee County Zoo, died Thursday night

Since the gorillas' death, zookeepers have been rearing Zahra 24 hours a day. 

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has a Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Western lowlands gorillas, and the Milwaukee County Zoo is following that plan. The SSP recommends that a gorilla Zahra's age be placed in a zoo with a stable family unit that includes a mother who will act as a surrogate for Zahra, a tolerant silverback male and other females with offspring. The receiving zoo has already successfully transitioned baby gorillas to a stable family unit.

Zahra will be transferred within the next week. The zoo's lead gorilla zookeeper will accompany her. 

Once Zahra moves, the zoo will have four Western lowlands gorillas, two of whom (Shalia and Sulaiman) were part of the gorilla family unit. Sulaiman is the male offspring of Shalia and Cassius and is almost 4 years old. The zoo said that Shalia and Sulaiman are doing well, and that the main focus for keepers has been on taking care of Zahra. There are no current plans for moving Shalia and Sulaiman. 

The gorillas are currently off-exhibit, but they will return as soon as updates to the gorilla exhibit space have been complete.