Abeo and Foster Mom Kweli Now on Exhibit at Louisville Zoo’s Award-Winning Gorilla Forest

Louisville Zoo

Visitors to the Louisville Zoo can now see infant gorilla Abeo (pronounced ah-BAY-oh) as he makes his debut in the Zoo’s award-winning Gorilla Forest. Abeo, a 1 ½-month-old male Western Lowland gorilla, is being fostered by Kweli, a 40-year-old female gorilla. The two are now part of the daily viewing rotation for guests.

Abeo was born on June 28 at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, to first-time mom Akenji. Unfortunately, Akenji was unable to bond with her newborn, and a subsequent foster arrangement was also unsuccessful. In response, Woodland Park Zoo officials worked swiftly with the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), to secure a new home for Abeo. The Louisville Zoo’s Kweli was selected due to her successful experience fostering Kindi, the Zoo’s now 8-year-old sub-adult female gorilla, who was orphaned shortly after birth.

“Kweli has been an exemplary foster mom, first with Kindi and now with Abeo,” said Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney. “We are incredibly proud of Kweli’s care and her attentiveness. Like our visitors, we are looking forward to watching Abeo grow and thrive with the family troop at Gorilla Forest.”

“All of us at Woodland Park Zoo are celebrating that baby Abeo is now in the arms of gorilla Kweli. This is how it should be for a baby gorilla—being in the direct care of a gorilla and being socialized with a family of gorillas,” said Martin Ramirez, Interim Senior Director of Animal Care at Woodland Park Zoo. “Our zoo family is so grateful to Louisville Zoo and their dedicated gorilla experts. All the way from the Pacific Northwest, our zoo family and community will continue to enjoy watching Abeo grow to be a confident and secure gorilla.”

For over a month, the Gorilla Forest team has provided round-the-clock care for Abeo, including feeding and socializing him using vocal and behavioral cues similar to those of a gorilla mother. After meeting key milestones, including responding to behavioral cues and navigating the habitat, Abeo was introduced to Kweli through closely monitored bonding. Over the coming weeks, Abeo and Kweli will be integrated with the rest of the gorilla troop that includes silverback Casey (42 years old), and adult females Paki (35 years old) and Patty (11 years old), and sub-adult female Kindi (8 years old). The group will rotate on exhibit with bachelor gorillas Bengati, Jelani, Cecil and Kicho.

For updates on Abeo’s progress, visit the Zoo’s dedicated blog at louisvillezoo.org/gorillafoster.

Gorilla Conservation Status

Found only in the dense forests of west central Africa, Western Lowland gorillas are critically endangered and could face extinction if stronger efforts are not mounted to protect them. The primary threats to their survival are illegal poaching, civil unrest, disease and habitat destruction due to extractive industries such as mining.

Zoo Hours

The Zoo is open daily year-round. Current hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (stay until 5 p.m.). The Zoo is open year-round except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Visit louisvillezoo.org for more information.