Audubon Zoo says new male gorilla is ‘very inquisitive’

NEW ORLEANS—Audubon Zoo’s newest gorilla, Okpara, has a “large personality,” is “very inquisitive” and is settling in well, his caretakers said Jan. 9. Okie, as he is called, moved to New Orleans in early December from Boston.

Okie, a 24-year-old male Western lowland gorilla, is one of two new primates at the zoo. In October, Tumani moved to New Orleans from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado. She’s a 10-year-old Western lowland gorilla.

The two gorillas join Praline, a female who was born 21 years ago at Audubon Zoo. Another female gorilla may join the new troop later this year, helping the zoo mimic social groups in the wild of multiple females and a single adult male.

Okie has been undergoing a standard quarantine protocol behind the scenes to make sure he didn’t bring health-related problems that could cause problems for the existing animals at the zoo. The staff said he has adapted well to his new environment.

“He’s a very boisterous silverback and has quite a large personality,” Courtney Eparvier, curator of primates at Audubon Zoo, said in a statement. “He’s not shy at all. And one thing that I’ve noticed working with him is when we’re preparing his diet or creating some enrichment for him, he’s just always watching and very inquisitive. He’s not standoffish or aloof.”

Eparvier said Okie and the two female gorillas will begin a “structured introduction process” to make sure they bond socially. The troop won’t be visible to the public until that’s finished, she said.

In November, the two female gorillas went through the process successfully and now they cohabitate in Audubon’s World of Primates gorilla habitat.

The new male is a big change for the zoo. For 15 years, Casey was the lone male in the troop. However, the 35-year-old gorilla didn’t produce any offspring despite being paired with four females. He left in June for Louisville Zoo and his animal care teams are hopeful that the change of scenery for Casey will result successful breeding for the critically endangered species.

Bandia, a female gorilla, left for Louisville Zoo in October. Binti, another female, departed for Houston Zoo in 2015.

“Casey was such a huge presence in our everyday lives and he will always have a special place in our hearts here,” Eparvier said.

“But Okpara coming in is starting to fill that hole. He’s now going to be the man of our group here taking charge as the silverback and we couldn’t be more excited to get him out of quarantine and introduce him to our girls.”