Get your party hat on—the babies of Franklin Park Zoo’s Tropical Forest are turning one! Join Millie the tapir, Pablo the western lowland gorilla, Ptolemy the pygmy hippo and Scout the De Brazza’s monkey on October 16 to celebrate their first birthday in style. Watch as your favorite Tropical Forest friends receive special birthday themed enrichment, and be sure to write a note to them on their giant birthday card! You can learn more about each of these species when you stop by the education table. This is an event you won’t want to miss. After all, you only have one first birthday!

To celebrate this important milestone, consider making a donation in their honor. You can also purchase items off Franklin Park Zoo’s wishlist, or donate your used cellphone or other electronic device at the Eco-Cell collection box located by the gorilla exhibit in the Tropical Forest. By recycling your phones in the Tropical Forest, you can help protect animals like western lowland gorillas that live in areas where cell phone materials are mined.

Zoo New England participates in the Baird’s Tapir, Western Lowland Gorilla, Pygmy Hippo and De Brazza’s Monkey Species Survival Plans (SSP), which is a cooperative, inter-zoo program coordinated nationally through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). SSPs help to ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered, and enhance conservation of these species in the wild.