Congo Falls will be the San Antonio Zoo’s first gorilla habitat in more than three decades. Credit: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Zoo
One of the gorillas scheduled to relocate to the San Antonio Zoo’s highly anticipated Congo Falls habitat had died suddenly, zoo officials said.
Bachelor Zola, one of the eight Western Lowland Gorillas to be housed at Congo Falls, unexpectedly perished last week at the Dallas Zoo. He was one of four male gorillas scheduled to moved to San Antonio.
“In order to give the Dallas Zoo gorilla keepers time to grieve this loss and ensure that the other three boys are doing well, their arrival will be rescheduled when the time is right,” San Antonio Zoo President and CEO Tim Morrow said.
Despite the setback, Morrow said three female gorillas from Zoo Atlanta are still expected to arrive in San Antonio “very soon,” with the opening date for the habitat to be announced on Nov. 15, Morrow said in his statement.
“The wait is almost over, and I promise it will be worth it,” Morrow said.
The $30 million Congo Falls will be the first gorilla exhibit at the San Antonio Zoo in more than three decades. It will feature overhead trails and a 70-foot-tall gorilla tower. The exhibit, which spans 2 acres, will also feature an events center.
More information about Congo Falls is available on the San Antonio Zoo’s website.
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Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando…
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