Busch Gardens Tampa will soon have a new member of their family. Mary, a western lowland gorilla, is expected to give birth in March 2015.
After a successful gorilla birth last December, Busch Gardens Tampa is excited to announce the pregnancy of 27-year-old endangered western lowland gorilla, Mary. Mary is expected to give birth in March 2015.
Mary, 27, came to Busch Gardens in February 2010 from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas with daughter Pele, who gave birth to a male this past December.
Busch Gardens Tampa says Mary has given birth five times and this is her first pregnancy at Busch Gardens. Bolingo, the suspected sire, was Busch Gardens’ first gorilla birth in 2005.
This pregnancy is part of Busch Gardens’ participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). The mission of the SSP is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species populations within AZA-accredited facilities. Busch Gardens’ participation helps create genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations to guarantee the long-term future of these animals.