BATON ROUGE- Two of Audubon Zoo’s popular primates will be leaving New Orleans soon as part of a strategy forged with fellow accredited facilities of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to maintain a healthy and genetically diverse population of gorillas and orangutans in human care. Species Survival Plans (SSPs) serve as a safeguard for animals facing extinction in the wild.

Casey, a male western lowland silverback gorilla who came to Audubon in 2002, will be sent to the Louisville Zoo on June 12. Berani, a male Sumatran orangutan who has been at Audubon since 2001, is scheduled to move to the Denver Zoo on June 23.