
The new baby gorilla born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom a couple of weeks ago finally has a name!
But rather than making a boring announcement about the baby’s name with a short press release or a poster, Cast Members at the park decided to help the gorilla troop share the baby’s name with Guests in their own special way–by revealing it to Guests as they visited the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
https://youtu.be/C9k-UyMFSTA
The name “Ada” was painted around the gorilla trail. The “paint” is actually rice cereal, which the gorillas enjoy eating. This is an example of “enrichment,” a practice in place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that encourages the gorillas to explore their habitats.
Once the name was painted onto rocks and other parts of the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail exhibit, Cast Members covered up the name, encouraging the gorillas to forage for the rice cereal underneath.
As they removed the coverings, the name of the baby was revealed. How creative!
The new baby gorilla’s name is Ada, pronounced “AH-duh.” The name is significant because it means “first daughter,” and Ada is the first baby girl born to her mother, Azizi. Azizi is already the mother of two male gorillas, and one of her sons, Cory, has been spending a lot of time trying to get to know his new baby sister better.
Azizi and her new baby love to spend time bonding, and so far, things are going very well as they adjust to each other and to life together with the rest of the gorilla troop. In fact, Azizi’s favorite place to sit with her baby–according to Cast Members–is right up close to the glass where Guests come to visit. This gives Guests an up close and personal view of the new baby and her mother.