A 1-month-old female gorilla born at Brookfield Zoo has been named Ali.
Ali, born June 1, is the latest addition to the zoo’s family of western lowland gorillas, which are native to the forests in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Congo and Angola, according to a news release Monday from the zoo.
Zoo spokeswoman Sondra Katzen said the name is pronounced as “Allie.” She said that the name was chosen by a donor to the zoo who was given the rights to name the baby primate. Katzen said she did not know why that particular name was selected. The donor has asked to remain anonymous, she said.
For the next few months, Ali will spend most of her life clinging to her mother, Koola, but at about 4 months she’ll begin exploring the world around her on her own — though always within arm’s reach of her mother.
Ali and Koola live in the zoo’s Tropic World habitat with several other gorillas, including Ali’s father, JoJo.
The western lowland gorilla is considered critically endangered, and experts estimate there are just 200,000 living in their native habitat, according to the news release.
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