LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Zoo has a new addition to its Gorilla Forest habitat. 

Abeo, a 1 1/2-month-old infant male western lowland gorilla, comes to the commonwealth from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, where he was born June 28. His name means "bringer of happiness" in Yoruba, a language spoken in West Africa. 

The Louisville Zoo said Abeo could not bond with his mother, Akenji, forcing Woodland Park Zoo officials to find suitable care for the infant. The Woodland Park Zoo collaborated with the Gorilla Species Survival Plan to find him a new home, a breeding program managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which maintains a list of potential foster gorillas across the country. 

Kweli, the Louisville Zoo's 40-year-old female gorilla, was selected as Abeo's foster mom after her success with Kindi, the zoo's 8-year-old, sub-adult female gorilla. 

"While we always hope for a natural mother-infant bond, circumstances sometimes require alternative solutions for the well-being of the gorilla," said Dan Maloney, director of the Louisville Zoo. "Our Gorilla Forest care team's successful work with Kindi and Kweli stands as a testament to their expertise. Kweli is a dedicated mother, and Kindi is thriving in her family group, showing all the proper, healthy gorilla behaviors. I look forward to seeing this young gorilla flourish with his new family."

The zoo said the Gorilla Forest keeper team will provide constant care for Abeo, including feeding, socializing and using behavioral cues, mirroring the successful progress it implemented with Kindi in 2016. Initial interactions with adult gorillas will occur through a mesh panel, known as a "howdy door," to facilitate gradual introductions.

After meeting those milestones and having bonding sessions with Kweli, he will be integrated into the existing gorilla troop, consisting of silverback Casey (42 years old), adult females Paki (35 years old) and Kweli, young female Kindi and recently added Patty (11 years old), in addition to bachelor gorillas Bengati, Jelani, Cecil and Kicho.

Abeo's public debut in the Gorilla Forest will occur after acclimating to his new home and foster mother, the zoo added. Check out louisvillezoo.org/gorillafoster for updates on his progress.

For $99, a special ADOPTS package offers guests the chance to "adopt" the infant gorilla, including a plush gorilla, an adoption certificate, an animal fact sheet, a zoo magnet, the adopter's name on the zoo's website, a bracelet that tracks gorillas in the wild and two admission passes to visit the Louisville Zoo. The zoo said gorillas are endangered and could face extinction without stronger efforts to protect them, with illegal poaching, civil unrest, disease and habitat destruction as the primary threats. 

The Louisville Zoo is open daily year-round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Summer hours, which run through Sept. 22, are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.