SEATTLE (Gray News) – A gorilla born at a Washington state zoo will be transferred to another zoo to live with a surrogate mother and another gorilla family.

According to the Woodland Park Zoo, first-time mother Akenji rejected her baby, born on June 28.

Since the birth of the newborn, he has been cared for by people.

“Since Akenji showed no interest in caring for her baby, human intervention was necessary,” a zoo spokesman said.

After further attempts to reunite mother and baby failed, the animal care team said it had made the “difficult decision” to transfer the one-month-old gorilla cub to another zoo so that he could be raised by a surrogate gorilla mother.

According to the animal care team, they tried to focus on training three adult female gorillas at Woodland Park to become surrogate mothers, but “progress was not moving quickly enough.”

Now the staff have turned to the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, which maintains a list of potential surrogate mothers in recognized zoos and aquariums across the country.

“We are confident the cub will find a good home and will announce final details once he arrives safely,” said Martin Ramirez, acting senior director of animal care at Woodland Park Zoo.

It is natural for baby gorillas to be with their mother all the time, the zoo said. It gives the baby confidence and a sense of security, which is crucial for a gorilla’s healthy and social life.

The zookeeping team also said that, therefore, the rearing of a baby gorilla must be gorilla-focused from the beginning and it is imperative that the baby is socialized with a surrogate mother and gorilla family without further delay.

“Although we had hoped for a different outcome, this is the best decision for his long-term benefit and well-being,” Ramirez said.

Copyright 2024 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.