ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The Detroit Zoo has announced the name of its newest baby gorilla after receiving thousands of votes.
The zoo, on Aug. 13, said guests have chosen to name the newly born western lowland gorilla Usala (Oo-sa-la).
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Usala means “forest” in the Kikumu language and is also the name of a conservation corridor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that connects important gorilla habitats.
The name received over 1,300 votes, with about 3,000 guests voting for the three options: Amateka, Lobéké and Usala. The voting took place during a July 29-21 activation at the Zoo’s Great Apes of Harambee habitat.
Usala was born July 12 to first-time mom Tulivu and father Mshindi. She is the second gorilla ever born at the Detroit Zoo, following the birth of Motema (Mo-Tem-Ahh) in August 2024.
Usala and Motema are half-siblings because they share Mshindi as their father.