There’s another baby on the way to Zoo Atlanta.
Sukari, a 15-year-old western lowland gorilla, is expecting her second baby, officials said Friday.
The latest baby announcement was delivered just five days after giant panda Lun Lun had twin boys.
“It’s sheer coincidence,” Keisha Hines, zoo spokeswoman, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We don’t have any planned parenthood going on here.”
Sukari’s baby, grandchild of the late Willie B., could arrive anytime between late July and mid-August, Hines said. Specialists have been monitoring the developing fetus via ultrasound since confirming the gorilla’s pregnancy earlier this year.
This will be the second gorilla baby born this year at the zoo. Lulu, the youngest child of Willie B., gave birth to a healthy baby boy in March.
“We’re particularly excited about the idea of welcoming not just one — but two — gorilla infants in 2013,” said Raymond B. King, zoo president and CEO, in an emailed statement.
“Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, and this is a species that’s particularly near and dear to us at Zoo Atlanta,” King said. “Willie B. was an icon for two generations of Atlantans, and we can’t think of a finer way to honor his legacy than to celebrate the births of two more of his grandchildren.”
The late-summer arrival will bring a second baby for Sukari and 23-year-old silverback Taz, Hines said. Sukari’s firstborn, 6-year-old Gunther, now lives in a bachelor group with young males Kali, 7, and Mbeli, 11.
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