Seattle - This morning, 7-year-old Nadiri, one of Woodland Park Zoo’s endangered western lowland gorillas, was given a clean bill of health after the female gorilla’s first full physical exam.

“We’re pleased to report that Nadiri appears to be as healthy as we expected,” says Dr. Darin Collins, Woodland Park Zoo’s associate veterinarian. The work-up entailed a full body physical examination including body weight, blood work, x-rays, ultrasound and a gynecological evaluation. “Everything is within normal health parameters,” adds Collins. Veterinary staff also extracted a retained baby incisor.

The exam of the 178-pound gorilla reunited members of the team of volunteer physicians who helped deliver the gorilla and provided neonatal care critical to her survival in 1996: Dr. Mark Lowmiller, an anesthesiologist from Swedish Medical Center; Dr. Rob Liddell, a radiologist from Radiology Consultants of Washington; and Dr. Robin Cole, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Seattle Women’s Clinic. “The collaboration of veterinarian/human doctor teams enables the zoo to provide top-notch medical care for the zoo animals,” notes zoo Senior Veterinarian Dr. Janis Joslin. “We rely on the expertise and resources of the local medical community who generously donate their time to the zoo.”

Nadiri became an overnight celebrity in the community when her mother’s complicated labor and delivery required an emergency immobilization and intervention by the zoo’s veterinarians and a team of physicians to deliver the infant and provide round-the-clock care. After countless hours invested by gorilla keepers and volunteers, Nadiri was successfully integrated with and accepted by an adoptive family: silverback Pete, adoptive mother Nina, their daughter Alafia, who is the mother of 2-year-old Naku, and Nadiri’s sister, 2-year-old Akenji. Jumoke shares a separate exhibit with silverback Vip, her daughter 5-year-old Monifa, and Amanda and her offspring, 5-year-old Ngozi and 9-month-old Calaya.

Nadiri is critical to the approximately 352 western lowland gorillas in North America because her father, now deceased, was wild-born and, therefore, a “founder” animal. As a founder animal, Congo had no other representatives in the captive gorilla population. Since the Endangered Species Act of 1973, gorillas are no longer wild-caught for the captive population. It is hoped that Nadiri will further enhance the gene pool of zoo gorillas through the infusion of Congo’s wild-born genes.

Woodland Park Zoo participates in the western lowland gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP) and 34 other SSPs including the Sumatran tiger, Aruba Island rattlesnake, red-crowned crane and orangutan. Under the auspices of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), the cooperative breeding programs work to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos and aquariums. Additionally, SSPs involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects. AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation, with more than 212 zoos and aquariums as members.

For more information about the zoo’s gorillas, check out Woodland Park Zoo’s Web site at www.zoo.org. Zoo summer hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. For general zoo information, log on the zoo’s Web site or call 206.684.4800.