A pair of western lowland gorillas - a mother and daughter - were introduced to the public today at their new home at Busch Gardens.
Mary, 22, and Pele, 8, can be viewed at the Myombe Reserve habitat. They join four gorillas already there: Kishina, Inaki, Sim Sim and Bolingo.
The additions came from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, in mid-February. They are part of a Species Survival Plan, approved by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums to oversee population management of captive animals.
The plan makes sure zoo animals aren't inbred and guarantees a genetic diversity of endangered species. The plan pairs animals to breed to sustain captive animal populations. Western lowland gorillas can live to be 35 years old and grow to 6 feet tall and 400 pounds.
Mary and Pele were born at the Brownsville zoo, and Mary is the daughter of the zoo's original western lowland gorillas, Lamydoc and Katanga.
Busch Gardens' zookeepers hope to breed the new arrivals with Sim Sim or Bolingo, depending on how the animals get along.
Western lowland gorillas are native to Africa and critically endangered animals. Their survival in the wild is threatened by habitat degradation, poaching and disease transmission.
Myombe Reserve at Busch Gardens is a 3-acre rainforest environment. It opened in 1991.
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