Did you hear about the Target gift registry for the Little Rock Zoo’s youngest western lowland gorilla?
The zoo is promoting both a Sept. 29 baby shower at its gorilla exhibit and the aforementioned gift registry for the baby gorilla, born Aug. 19.
The registry lists 119 different types of items for well-wishers to purchase, including 13 styles of baby blankets and 34 toys (example: something called a “Munchkin Twisty Ball Teether”) from Target’s baby department, a portable DVD player and a Black & Decker blender (for the gorilla family’s kitchen, perhaps?). A food item requested is 24 7-ounce bags of Archer Farms-brand dried mangoes.
If baby shower guests buy up all of the 41 gift options available online, that gorilla baby will score at least $700 in human presents.
Some Back Story
The shower and gift registry aren’t firsts for the zoo, since August’s baby is the zoo’s second gorilla born there, said zoo spokeswoman Susan Altrui. The zoo’s first gorilla baby, Mosi, had a similar shower in 2006. “We received a lot of what was on the registry and then some,” Altrui said.
A zookeeper created the newest gorilla’s registry and made sure the items are safe, she said. Most of the items, including all of the toys, will be given to the gorillas.
The zoo could buy food for the gorillas cheaper in bulk, depending on the items, Altrui said. And perhaps the brand new baby items will end up much the worse for wear in the grassy gorilla exhibit than in a human nursery.
“This is just a fun way for the public to get involved,” Altrui said. “It actually is something that helps the zoo because it allows the public to buy things for the animals that otherwise we would have to purchase.”
The zoo is a department of the city of Little Rock.
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