Zoo Atlanta mourns loss of oldest gorilla, celebrates new pregnancy of another, tell me about this news in (https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/zoo-atlanta-mourns-loss-of-oldest-gorilla-celebrates-new-pregnancy-of-another/)

Zoo Atlanta recently announced two major updates regarding its gorilla population: the loss of its oldest gorilla and the celebration of an upcoming birth.

Machi, the zoo’s oldest gorilla at 50 years old, was humanely euthanized over the weekend due to severe chronic osteoarthritis and other declining health concerns that made recovery unlikely. Having arrived at Zoo Atlanta with her mother in 1988 when the Ford African Rain Forest opened, Machi was one of the last remaining members of the zoo’s original group of gorillas. Following her passing, 41-year-old Kuchi is now the sole remaining member of that original group.

Amid this loss, the zoo is celebrating the news that 27-year-old Lulu is pregnant with her third infant, with the baby expected to arrive during the holiday season. Zoo officials noted that this milestone brings both a time of mourning and a hopeful look forward for the critically endangered western lowland gorilla species.