FATHER/SON GORILLA DUO CELEBRATE 3 AND 33 AT JOINT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Western lowland gorilla Floyd and his father Taz celebrated their third and 33rd birthdays at a joint celebration with their troop on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Zoo Atlanta.

Floyd, who turned 3 on July 24, and Taz, who turned 33 on July 20, and the other members of their family entered their habitat in the Zoo’s Ford African Rain Forest to find an abundance of birthday surprises, including piles of wood wool (a particular favorite form of enrichment for Floyd) and numeral-shaped ice treats filled with frozen juice and fruit.

Floyd is the youngest member of the gorilla population at Zoo Atlanta and the 24th gorilla to be born in The Ford African Rain Forest. Led by silverback Taz, his family group also includes adult females Kudzoo and daughters Merry Leigh and Mijadala; Sukari and daughter Anaka; and Floyd’s mother, Lulu, and her daughter Andi. Taz’s troop is one of four social groups of gorillas at Zoo Atlanta.

Zoo Atlanta has a globally recognized program for the care and behavioral study of western lowland gorillas, which are critically endangered. Wild populations have plummeted in recent years as a result of habitat loss, poaching, illegal hunting for the bushmeat trade, and emerging diseases. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over a 25-year period, these combined threats have reduced wild populations by 60 percent, with declines of as much as 90 percent in some parts of their range in western Africa.

The Zoo is home to one of North America’s largest populations of gorillas. Research by Zoo Atlanta team members has influenced the care of gorillas in zoos, as well as enhanced the world’s understanding of gorillas, with more than 100 published papers on maternal care, reproduction, social behavior, and cognition. Zoo Atlanta is the headquarters of the Great Ape Heart Project, the world’s first effort to understand, diagnose, and treat cardiac disease across all four great ape taxa: gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos.

Zoo Atlanta supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Gorilla SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Program, which focuses expertise within accredited zoos. For more than 20 years, the Zoo has supported its longtime partner in gorilla conservation, The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, by providing pro-bono headquarters space, information technology support, and financial resources. The Zoo and the Fossey Fund were among the organizations to host the first-ever World Gorilla Day in 2017.

Learn more or plan a visit at zooatlanta.org, and watch Taz’s troop on Gorilla Cam.

WHERE:
Zoo Atlanta
800 Cherokee Avenue, S.E.
Atlanta GA 30315

CONTACT:
Rachel Davis, Director of Communications
404.624.2812 – office
404.309.2238 – cell
rdavis@zooatlanta.org

Gavin Johnson
Public Relations and Communications Specialist
404.624.5980 – office
gjohnson@zooatlanta.org

 

ABOUT: About Zoo Atlanta
A proud accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for animal care and welfare, Zoo Atlanta has a mission to save wildlife and their habitats through conservation, research, education, and engaging experiences. The Zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 200 species from around the world, many of them endangered or critically endangered. Highlights include giant pandas, including Ya Lun and Xi Lun, the only giant panda twins in the U.S.; one of North America’s largest zoological populations of great apes; and a global center of excellence for the care and study of reptiles and amphibians. Recent transformations include the African Savanna, featuring new and expanded habitats for African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, warthogs, meerkats, and rhinos; Savanna Hall, a state-of-the-art special event destination in the restored historic former home of the Atlanta Cyclorama; and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Plaza. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org.