Hadari, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo's Infant Gorilla, Finds his Place Among the Gorilla Group

By Steph Husman

Omaha, NE - Hadari, an infant gorilla, is finding his place among the gorilla group.

Hadari was born on July 27, 2009 to Timu, his mother, and Samson, his father, at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Timu successfully cared for Hadari for three weeks until he unfortunately suffered from a broken arm. Zoo staff worked quickly to ensure proper healing. A special vest, made to simulate the mother’s hair, was worn by Zoo staff to teach Hadari how to grasp and hold on. He was then cared for by keepers, animal care staff and docents around the clock. The origin of the break is unknown as it happened over night. The goal has always been to reintroduce Hadari into gorilla group therefore he was continually kept near the group so they could smell, watch and interact.

Zoo staff developed a reintroduction schedule and the process began on January 19, 2010 with Rosie, the grandmother. After a few days, Rosie was taking excellent care of Hadari. Rosie was selected as the adoptive mother, due to her previous experience of caring for other infant gorillas. Timu, Hadari’s mother, will be introduced at a later date to help care for Hadari, as she’s still learning mothering skills.

A few challenges arose to get the gorillas on exhibit. First, a door in the exhibit area had to be modified so keepers could feed Hadari a bottle. Second, Rosie needed to carry Hadari upstairs from the holding area to the exhibit. Keepers had to work with Rosie and Hadari to ensure safety. Both challenges were overcome. Rosie and Hadari can be seen in the nursery area on weekends from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Hubbard Gorilla Valley.

We will continue to phase in additional members of the gorilla group.

Omaha’s Zoo manages 14 Western Lowland gorillas. There are three females and 11 males. They originate from the far west coast to Middle Western Africa. They are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is located at Nebraska’s I-80, Exit 454 and is open year-round from 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily. Admission prices for 2010 are $11.50 for adults, $7.75 for children (ages 3 – 11) and $10 for seniors. Household memberships are available for $78 until April 4, 2010. Additional information can be found on the website, www.omahazoo.com.

To view Omaha Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-3112-Omaha's_Henry_Doorly_Zoo