SEATTLE - Woodland Park Zoo is proud to announce the beginning of another chapter in the lives of its endangered western lowland gorillas. Yesterday, 9-year-old Alafia (uh-LAW-fee-uh) gave birth to a healthy gorilla, her first offspring, and the third for 21-year-old father Vip. The gender of the infant has not yet been determined.

According to zoo gorilla keepers, the infant and mother are bonding normally. "Alafia is demonstrating good maternal skills. However, our top priority is to ensure that Alafia and her infant establish a strong bond between each other," notes gorilla keeper Judi Sievert, "especially since Alafia is a first-time mother." The other members of her group, 32-year-old Pete, her father, 32-year-old Nina, her mother, and 4-year-old Nadiri, a hand-raised gorilla to whom Alafia became a surrogate mother in 1996, will remain off view in their inside enclosures until further notice.

Fall temperatures will play a factor in the decision to put mother and infant out on public view - animal management staff will determine when this will happen. Also in preparation for the infant gorilla, the zoo has temporary barriers in front of Alafia's exhibit to keep the public at a respectful distance from the viewing windows. Viewing will still be possible when the animals are on public exhibit. The barriers will remain in place until Alafia shows a satisfactory comfort level as a new mother.

Alafia and Vip live in separate gorilla groups. The successful mating, pregnancy and birth are the culmination of Alafia's and Vip's interest in each other. Shortly after Vip went on exhibit here in 1997, the two gorillas began spending much of their time calling to each other from their respective habitats. Since Alafia was at an optimum age for breeding, the gorilla keepers initiated the mating process by giving Vip and Alafia access to each other last summer. Due to the intricate dynamics between the zoo's two gorilla groups, however, zoo officials decided to leave Alafia with her natal group instead of transferring her into Vip's.

Vip lives with mates and respective daughters 15-year-old Jumoke and 2-year-old Monifa, and 30-year-old Amanda and 2-year-old Ngozi. Prior to his offspring two years ago, Vip remained unrepresented in the North American gene pool of gorillas.

There is actually a science behind all this mating and procreating. Woodland Park Zoo participates in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for gorillas. Through participation, the zoo has helped diversify the gorilla gene pool in North American zoos - 10 gorillas have been born at Woodland Park since 1975; eight have survived. The zoo also works to educate the public about gorillas - a critical first step towards gorilla conservation.

All gorillas are endangered. The estimated population of wild western lowland gorillas is about 110,000. The bushmeat trade, which is decimating African wildlife including gorillas and their young, is fueled by increased logging and is an imminent threat to the western lowland gorilla population, particularly in West and Central Africa. Another primary reason for their endangered status is habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion.

For more information about the zoo's gorillas and its conservation efforts, check out Woodland Park Zoo's Web site.