(Photo: Zoo New England)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Western lowland gorilla named Kimani is packing her bags and getting ready to move out of Zoo New England and into a new home where conservationists hope she'll be successful at starting her own family.
Kimani will move to the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens in San Francisco, Calif as part of the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, a cooperative, inter-zoo program in which Zoo New England participates. That means her keepers have a month to prepare Kimani for the move.
“Careful thought and planning goes into these recommendations and this is not something that we enter into lightly,” said John Linehan, Zoo New England President and CEO. “This is bittersweet for us as we will miss Kimani, but it is important for her to start her own family which contributes to the preservation of this species.”
In 2013, Kimani’s older sister Kira moved to a new home at the Philadelphia Zoo and has started her own family. Western lowland gorillas are considered critically endangered in the wild.
“Group dynamics and stability are extremely important when determining whether the time is right to move a gorilla to a new home. We feel that Kimani is ready for this move and will adjust well to her new home,” said Erica Farrell, Assistant Curator of Franklin Park Zoo’s Tropical Forest.
Kimani was born at Franklin Park Zoo on Nov. 24, 2004. On Nov. 10th the Zoo will have a birthday party for Kimani and sibling Kambiri, where the public can wish her well before her big move.
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