Woodland Park Zoo officials are celebrating the birth - and the genes - of a western lowland gorilla.

The baby was born Wednesday to 25-year-old Amanda and 36-year-old Congo. The infant, whose sex was not immediately determined, is the first offspring for both.

Zoo officials said the birth was significant because both Amanda and Congo were caught in the wild and have no known relatives in the population of captive gorillas, making them particularly valuable for promoting genetic diversity.

Congo’s other mate, 10-year-old Jumoke, is expecting her first baby in January.

Congo, on breeding loan from the Honolulu Zoo, came to Woodland Park in 1992 from the Phoenix Zoo. He had never successfully mated at the other two zoos.

Amanda, also on breeding loan, arrived last spring from Toronto.

Western lowland gorillas, the largest living primates, are native to lowland tropical forests in Africa. More than 325 of the animals are in North American zoos.

Amanda and Congo’s baby is the seventh gorilla born at Woodland Park. The last was in November 1990.