{"id":787374,"date":"2026-05-10T21:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/787374\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T21:42:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:42:22","slug":"san-antonio-zoo-throws-quinceanera-for-gorilla-who-turned-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/787374\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio Zoo throws quincea\u00f1era for gorilla who turned 15"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"406965\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/arts\/things-to-do\/san-antonio-zoo-throws-quinceanera-for-gorilla-who-turned-15\/attachment\/courtesy-san-antonio-zoo\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Courtesy-San-Antonio-Zoo.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1000,667\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Zoo Atlanta&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1643657094&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;390&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Courtesy San Antonio Zoo\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Merry Leigh turned 15 on Saturday. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Merry Leigh turned 15 on Saturday. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Courtesy-San-Antonio-Zoo.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Courtesy-San-Antonio-Zoo.jpg\" alt=\"Merry Leigh turned 15 on Saturday.\" class=\"wp-image-406965\"  \/>Merry Leigh turned 15 on Saturday.  Credit: Courtesy Photo \/ Zoo Atlanta<\/p>\n<p>How often does one celebrate a birthday party for a Western Lowland Gorilla, let alone her quincea\u00f1era? And what in the hell do you wear? <\/p>\n<p>The San Antonio Zoo\u2019s lovely Merry Leigh, a recent transplant from Atlanta, turned 15 this Saturday, and zoo officials invited the city to celebrate her right of passage with a quincea\u00f1era-themed birthday party. <\/p>\n<p>The celebration took place at Congo Falls, the zoo\u2019s new 2-acre gorilla habitat. <\/p>\n<p>The opening of the Falls marks the return of our genetic second cousins to the San Antonio Zoo for the first time in over 35 years, and Merry Leigh is most definitely the belle of the welcome back ball. <\/p>\n<p>While pi\u00f1atas and wildlife conservation might not seem to be an obvious dovetail, this fiesta definitely qualified as an immersive guest experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/sanantonio\/NewsletterSignup\/Page\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\"><strong>Follow us:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.news\/TiFMu3wPkRj6PC4xS5L36bg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWE5oWTNWeWNtVnVkQzVqYjIwb0FBUAE?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US%3Aen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbreak.com\/@c\/1599768?s=01\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/SanAntonio_Current\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/sacurrent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sacurrent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SAcurrent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/feed\/?partner-feed=all\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RSS Feed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Related Stories<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/arts\/things-to-do\/festival-de-animales-returns-to-the-san-antonio-zoo-this-weekend\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Festival-de-Animales-6.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Festival de Animales returns to the San Antonio Zoo this weekend\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"   data-attachment-id=\"404815\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/arts\/things-to-do\/festival-de-animales-returns-to-the-san-antonio-zoo-this-weekend\/attachment\/view-more-http-limelightsa-pass-us-mediabar-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Festival-de-Animales-6.jpeg?fit=1250%2C833&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1250,833\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1525007486&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Robert Stofa    2015&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;View More: http:\/\/limelightsa.pass.us\/mediabar&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"View More: http:\/\/limelightsa.pass.us\/mediabar\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Dancers parade around the San Antonio Zoo as part of Fiesta de los Animales festivities. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Dancers parade around the San Antonio Zoo as part of Fiesta de los Animales festivities. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Festival-de-Animales-6.jpeg?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tThe event runs April 25-26, and will feature folklorico dancers, mariachi performers and other live entertainment. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/arts\/things-to-do\/san-antonio-zoo-welcomes-year-old-giraffe-to-its-growing-herd\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Giraffe_JG_0115_Jasiri.jpg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"San Antonio Zoo welcomes year-old giraffe to its growing herd\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"   data-attachment-id=\"402890\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/arts\/things-to-do\/san-antonio-zoo-welcomes-year-old-giraffe-to-its-growing-herd\/attachment\/giraffe_jg_0115_jasiri\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Giraffe_JG_0115_Jasiri.jpg?fit=1150%2C766&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1150,766\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1748882495&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Giraffe_JG_0115_Jasiri\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Jasiri munches on some leaves at her new home at the San Antonio Zoo. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jasiri munches on some leaves at her new home at the San Antonio Zoo. &lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Giraffe_JG_0115_Jasiri.jpg?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tVisitors can catch a glimpse of Jasiri at the zoo\u2019s giraffe barn. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/usa-today-readers-rank-san-antonio-zoo-the-nations-seventh-best\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-4.59.39-PM.jpg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"USA Today readers rank San Antonio Zoo the nation\u2019s seventh-best\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"   data-attachment-id=\"400334\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/usa-today-readers-rank-san-antonio-zoo-the-nations-seventh-best\/attachment\/screenshot-112\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-4.59.39-PM.jpg?fit=1150%2C770&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1150,770\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Screenshot&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Screenshot&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SAZOO\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;The recently renovated entrance of the San Antonio Zoo.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The recently renovated entrance of the San Antonio Zoo.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-4.59.39-PM.jpg?fit=780%2C523&amp;ssl=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s the fourth time in the past three years that the local zoo has made a national Top 10 list.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Merry Leigh turned 15 on Saturday. Credit: Courtesy Photo \/ Zoo Atlanta How often does one celebrate a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":787375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,49378,321765,7202,9086,7203,358,111822,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,49381,287405],"class_list":{"0":"post-787374","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-congo-falls","10":"tag-merry-leigh","11":"tag-san-antonio","12":"tag-san-antonio-zoo","13":"tag-sanantonio","14":"tag-texas","15":"tag-things-to-do-in-san-antonio","16":"tag-tx","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa","23":"tag-western-lowland-gorillas","24":"tag-zoo-atlanta"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116552464020774335","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}