LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Zoo has a new gorilla. 11-year-old western lowland gorilla, Patty, comes to Kentucky from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Patty joins silverback Casey, 42, Paki, 25 and Kweli, 40. Paki and Kweli are both female, and of course the youngest female, Kindi, who is 8-years-old. Patty’s new gorilla troop will be, according to the zoo, “in exhibit rotation with bachelor groups” including Bengati, Jelani, Cecil and Kicho.

The zoo says it has a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. In time, Patty will be paired with Casey.

So far, zookeepers say her transition to Louisville has been going well. Patty is described as a “socially savvy gorilla” and her integration is working just fine.

Zoo director Dan Maloney said, “Welcoming a relatively young, unrelated female gorilla to our Zoo is quite an accomplishment and we credit her addition to the hard work of our Animal Care Team. We are eager to witness her growth, and hopefully see her successfully become a mom with male gorilla Casey soon!” 

The Louisville Zoo is open year-round and during the summer, it is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. It is closed on certain holidays.