Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has added to its primate family with the healthy arrival of a second baby gorilla this year.
Zoo officials on Friday announced the May 11 arrival of Bo, a boy, born to mom, Moka.
According to the zoo, both are doing well as Bo joins Charlotte, a female gorilla born at the zoo on Feb. 14. The zoo now has eight gorillas in residence.
Charlotte was named through a public contest that raised almost $5,000 for animal care and upkeep. Zoo staff chose Bo’s name in in honor of his late grandfather, Mimbo, who lived at the zoo until 2005.
Zoo guests may catch glimpses of the two young gorillas, but not at the same time. For now, officials said, each will remain with a separate family troop: Bo with older siblings Frank and Ivan, Moka and silverback dad Mrithi; Charlotte is with her mom, Ibo, and paternal figure, Harry.
“Troops in the wild typically consist of one silverbacked male, females and offspring, so this became a natural arrangement,” said Kelsey Forbes, curator of mammals at Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. “The two groups do have constant visual access to one another, which allows both infants to see the other family members. Both troops are doing great.”
Zoo officials said the new babies in Pittsburgh eventually will contribute new genetics to the Western lowland gorilla, a species that is critically endangered, with a rapidly decreasing population in the wild.
