GORILLA AT THE ZOO ENJOYS FIRST BIRTHDAY

Floyd the western lowland gorilla turned 1 on July 24, 2020. The Gorilla Care Team at Zoo Atlanta celebrated early on the morning of July 22, filling Floyd’s family’s habitat with festive surprises before the group came outside for the day.

Floyd and his family enjoyed several ice “cakes” shaped as the numeral 1 and filled with frozen fruit. Treats also included larger ice blocks packed with grander prizes, including fruits such as a half-pineapple. A featured gift for Floyd was a large pile of his favorite play enrichment: wood wool.

Floyd is the 24th gorilla born at Zoo Atlanta and is a grandson of the legendary late Willie B. He is also a great-grandson of Ozzie, the world’s oldest living male gorilla at 59. Floyd lives in the Zoo’s Ford African Rain Forest with his family troop, which includes mother Lulu; father Taz; sister Andi; aunt Kudzoo; half-sister Merry; half-sister Mija; aunt Sukari; and half-sister Anaka.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over a 25-year period, the combined threats of poaching, illegal hunting for the bushmeat trade, habitat loss and emerging diseases such as Ebola have reduced their numbers by 60 percent in the wild, with declines of as much as 90 percent in some parts of their range in western Africa. Populations living within North American zoos are overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Gorilla Species Survival Plan® (SSP), which seeks to maintain a self-sustaining, genetically diverse gorilla population for future generations, and in which Zoo Atlanta is an active partner.

Learn more at zooatlanta.org. Follow Zoo Atlanta on Facebook and Instagram throughout the day on July 24 for more exclusive content featuring Floyd.

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 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 all-new African Savanna, featuring new and expanded habitats for African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, warthogs, meerkats and rhinos, and Savanna Hall, a state-of-the-art special event destination in the newly restored historic former home of the Atlanta Cyclorama. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org.