CHICAGO – Lincoln Park Zoo staffers finally got close enough to a western lowland gorilla born there last month to determine the baby is a girl.

Officials at the Chicago zoo say once staffers determined the baby's sex they moved quickly to name the little girl Patty. The name is in honor of the mother-in-law of a zoo life trustee. The zoo reports that since giving birth, Patty's mother, 17-year-old Bana has gone through positive changes.

The zoo says she's suddenly interested in a research project that has apes and staffers use computer touchscreens to communicate with each other. The zoo says she's become more confident about approaching researchers and not deferring to other gorillas that monopolize the computer.