Detroit Zoo’s Newest Baby Gorilla Has a Name

ROYAL OAK, MI — The new baby gorilla born at the Detroit Zoo in July officially has a name, and it's Usala.

Usala means "forest" in the Kikumu language. It is also the name of a conservation corridor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that connects important gorilla habitats.

Zoo officials said the name earned more than 1,300 votes among roughly 3,000 voters. The other two options included Amanteka and Lobéké.

Usala is just the second gorilla ever born at the zoo. She was born to first-time mom Tulivu on July 12.

Zoo officials said mom, baby and baby's father, Mshindi, are all doing well.

The first baby gorilla born at the zoo was Motema in August 2024. Mshindi is also Motema's father.

Usala is now the sixth gorilla to make the Detroit Zoo her home. Tulivu and Mshindi came to the Zoo in 2023 from the Cincinnati Zoo on a breeding and transfer recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Gorilla Species Survival Plan. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered.