Thu Sep 26 15:00:48 UTC 2024: ## Baby Gorilla Finds New Home and Foster Mom in Louisville
**LOUISVILLE, Ky.** – A baby gorilla named Abeo, born at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo in June, has found a new home and a loving foster mother at the Louisville Zoo. Abeo, who was rejected by his biological mother, is now thriving under the care of Kweli, a 40-year-old female gorilla.
Kweli was chosen as Abeo’s foster mom due to her previous success raising an orphaned baby gorilla named Kindi. Woodland Park Zoo staff, unable to foster Abeo themselves, reached out to the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, which found him a new home at the Louisville Zoo.
“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.”
Abeo has been receiving 24-hour care from the Louisville Zoo staff, who have been working to socialize him using vocal and behavioral cues similar to those of a gorilla mother. Abeo was gradually introduced to Kweli, and the pair are now bonding and will be integrated with the rest of the gorilla troop over the next few weeks.
“All of us at Woodland Park Zoo are celebrating that baby Abeo is now in the arms of gorilla Kweli,” said Interim Senior Director of Animal Care Martin Ramirez. “This is how it should be for a baby gorilla—in the direct care of a gorilla and socialized with a family of gorillas.”
Abeo’s story serves as a heartwarming reminder of the collaborative efforts between zoos to ensure the well-being of endangered animals. You can follow Abeo’s progress and learn more about his new home at the Louisville Zoo’s blog.
First Piper 