California IN BRIEF : SAN DIEGO : 3 Gorillas Arrive at New Zoo Home

Three western lowland gorillas have reached the San Diego Zoo from the zoo in Philadelphia as part of the national Species Survival Plan, officials said. The Philadelphia Zoo said the move is designed to help increase the population of such gorillas, which are members of an endangered species. Memba, a 21-year-old male, and Alvila, a 26-year-old female, had been on loan from San Diego since June 30, 1989. Also part of the program is 10-year-old Jessica, who was born at the Philadelphia Zoo. A new 2.5-acre African rain forest, constructed for $11.5 million in San Diego, features more than 3,000 African cuttings and seedlings and a behind-the-scenes remote video camera system which is designed to capture the earliest activities of newborns without disturbing the gorillas.