MEET OUR TROOP MASCOTS KUDZOO AND OLYMPIA.

In 1997 our Girl Scout troop spent a night at the Atlanta Zoo. So we decided that Willie B. would be our troop mascot. But when we ordered our gorilla from the zoo it had a tag on it that said Kudzoo. Then we all fell in love with Kudzoo and so the story goes that our mascot would become Kudzoo. Kudzoo joined us on many trips with Girl Scout troops, which you can read about in Kudzoo's Travels.

On our trip to the zoo we purchased Olympia. She is too young to travel and will stay home with our troop.

KUDZOO

Kudzoo is gorilla Willie B.'s first offspring. Like most children of celebrities she was born knowing that she was famous. Over 104,000 Atlantans cast their vote in the "Name the Baby Gorilla" contest sponsored by the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Ford Motor Company and the Metro Atlanta Ford and Lincoln-Mercury Dealers.

Kudzoo was Born on Feb.8, 1994 in the zoo's Ford African Rain Forest. Her birth is significant because both Willie B. and Choomba are "founder" animals, originating from the wild population in Africa.

Kudzoo is a western lowland gorilla. At the zoo, she eats a variety of fruits and vegetables, branches and leaves, and gets extra vitamins and nutrients from commercially packaged primate nuggets. Kudzoo delights zoo visitors daily by chewing on sticks and playing with the other gorillas.

WILLIE B

Willie B. came to Zoo Atlanta in 1961 when he was about three years old. He was wild-caught in Africa by an animal dealer. In 1989 he moved into one of the large natural, outdoor habitats called the Ford African Rain Forest. He was soon joined by three gorilla families.

On Feb. 8, 1994, Choomba gave birth to Willie B. first offspring. The baby girl was named Kudzoo. Mia Moja gave birth to Willie B's second baby girl, Olympia, on June 22, 1996. Machi gave birth to Willie B's third offspring on April 8, 1998.


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