The Louisville Zoo has announced the arrival of two new female Western lowland gorillas that will join its award-winning Gorilla Forest habitat, according to the Lane Report. Obi, 11, and Andi, 10, arrived from Zoo Knoxville in Tennessee and have completed their standard 30-day quarantine period.

The half-sisters will join 29-year-old male gorilla Kicho as they establish a new family group within the Gorilla Forest. The names carry special significance: Obi means "heart" in the Igbo language of southeast Nigeria, while Andi honors community advocate Andie Raye, a supporter of Zoo Knoxville's gorilla conservation program, and means "brave, strong and courageous." Both gorillas come with breeding recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan.

Notably, Andi has a direct connection to Louisville's gorilla history as the granddaughter of Frank, the prominent male gorilla who helped establish the Gorilla Forest when it opened in 2002 and remained at the zoo until 2008.

Zoo Director Dan Maloney praised the addition, stating their arrival represents "an exciting step forward for our gorilla program and our commitment to the cooperative conservation of these incredible great apes." The two females bring the total number of distinct gorilla troops at Gorilla Forest to three, alongside established family groups led by silverback Casey and two bachelor males.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, facing dramatic population declines in the wild. The species has declined by over 60 percent in the last 20 to 25 years, threatened by poaching, habitat destruction from logging and mining operations, and disease. Conservation programs like the Species Survival Plan aim to ensure a sustainable zoo population that can contribute to the species' long-term survival.

The Louisville Zoo is open daily through September 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with visitors able to exit by 6 p.m. More information is available at louisvillezoo.org.