By 1982, 40,000 school children had made special education trips to the Zoo.  Also this year, Mandara, a western lowland gorilla, first came to the Zoo from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. She was the first gorilla ever born to a Milwaukee County Zoo gorilla, Terra, who was at Lincoln Park Zoo on loan.  Mandara was hand-raised here by a committed group of volunteers called Mandara Moms.  These selfless volunteers monitored Mandara’s development, in four-hour shifts, around the clock.  Their responsibilities included everything from feeding, cuddling, bathing, and playing.

Image courtesy of Milwaukee Sentinel