Knoxville Zoo anticipates bringing productivity to a halt across Knoxville today with the debut of the McGaha Gorilla Cam, a live web cam that features real-time views into the Gorilla Valley courtyard and the daily activities of gorilla babies Obi and Ubuntu.

The McGaha Gorilla Cam goes live at noon today and can be viewed from the zoo’s media partner web sites at WBIR and Knoxville News Sentinel. 

The camera was made possible by McGaha Electric Company, who installed fiber cable that gave the zoo the capability to provide high-definition video and by WBIR and the Knoxville News Sentinel who provided the streaming capacity to take the gorillas to the world via the internet. 

“The response to the first gorillas ever born in Knoxville has been overwhelming, and we are very excited to be able to share them with everyone through the McGaha Gorilla Cam,” said Knoxville Zoo President and CEO Lisa New.  “Although seeing them in person is an absolute must, this makes it possible for everyone to watch them grow up even when you can’t physically be at the zoo.”

The camera will be live from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. daily and feature a live view into the courtyard of Knoxville Zoo’s Gorilla Valley courtyard, a favorite hang-out of the zoo’s gorilla family that includes silverback Bantu, females Hope, Machi and Kowali and almost-four-month-old babies Obi and Ubuntu.  The youngsters are about to begin an exciting time in their development, becoming more independent and interacting with each other playfully as they learn to crawl and explore.  Since the gorillas prefer to bed down in their dens at night and off-view, the camera will be streaming during the hours when they are awake and active, including one of their favorite times of the day, breakfast in the courtyard around 10:00 a.m. daily.

Knoxville Zoo is Knoxville’s largest year-round attraction.  Located off exit 392 from Interstate 40, the zoo is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Knoxville Zoo is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is committed to the highest standards in animal care and well-being, ethics, conservation, and education. Currently, the zoo is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Next-day admission is free after 3 p.m. For more information, please call 865-637-5331 ext. 300 or visit www.knoxvillezoo.org.