[Westside]

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - The Cincinnati Zoo has a new Western lowland silverback gorilla that was brought in from the Louisville Zoo.

Mshindi has begun exploring the outdoor habitat by himself as he gets used to his new home. "We worked closely with Louisville Zoo's gorilla staff to learn Mshindi's trained behaviors for body presentations and health exams and to get familiar with his likes and dislikes," said Ron Evans, Cincinnati Zoo's Curator of Primates. "When working with highly intelligent animals like the great apes, it's imperative for keepers from both zoos involved in a transfer to collaborate and exchange detailed information to ensure a smooth transition."

Eventually Mshindi will be joined by Chewie and Mara, two female gorillas. They'll get to know each other behind the scenes first.

The Zoo's gorilla groups will rotate outdoors until Gorilla World closes on October 3 for the final renovations. Crews will complete an indoor area with large, natural spaces that will allow for close up viewing. "When the indoor habitat is ready, we'll have five distinct areas that connect to allow for fluid movement of the gorilla groups, further enhancing their welfare," said Evans. "The spatial variety and flexibility of movement facilitates gorilla choice to be near others or to get some distance from the group as wild gorillas do in the rainforest. It will enhance the social dynamics, improving the overall cohesiveness and well-being of the groups."

The Gorilla World expansion has been in the works since 2015. The Zoo expects to finish it later in the fall.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered with less than 175,000 in the wild.

http://fox45now.com/news/local/cincinnat...ew-gorilla

[Westside]

Let's hope word does not spread to this gorilla on what happened to the last gorilla or Mshindi may just try to make a run for it. That might be why they have him two female gorillas to "get to know him" behind the scenes. They're hoping this will get him to stay.