Wichita ? When you weigh up to 500 pounds, people expect big things of you.

Sedgwick County Zoo officials predict the residents of the $5.5 million Downing Gorilla Forest opening this week will draw an additional 50,000 visitors over the next two years.

“Gorillas are definitely among the animals that bring people in,” said zoo director Mark Reed. “And we think people are really going to love this exhibit.”

The six male gorillas already in residence — Matt, Jabir, Shango, Barney, Tommy and Billy — come from zoos across the country and range from 5 to 15 years old. Two more, Virgil and Samson, are expected to arrive this fall or early next year.

The zoo has developed the gorilla exhibit over the last four years, hoping to ape the success of the 8-year-old Koch Orangutan and Chimpanzee Habitat.

Like many zoos, Sedgwick County always wanted gorillas.

But it wasn’t until Wichita philanthropists Barry and Paula Downing stepped forward that the plan became a reality. The Downings, who were enthralled with gorillas during a trip to Africa, provided $4 million for the habitat and encouraged others to donate an additional $1.5 million.

Reed and other zoo officials visited parks with gorillas to compare what worked and what didn’t.

They also reviewed lists of gorillas being removed from zoos because of age, size or how they ranked in simian society. Zoos use gorillas to compete but also are careful not to put gorillas where they could be dangerous or unhappy.

The enclosure is designed to mimic the ape’s native land, Reed said.

Visitors will begin in a re-created African village. Journeying deeper into the exhibit, visitors must cross a 50-foot suspension bridge that will bounce and sway — a must-have, the Downings said.

Surrounding the gorilla enclosure are a number of other African animals, such as the okapi, a rare relative of the giraffe.

A circular viewing room allows visitors to watch the gorillas in their 30,000-square-foot outdoor habitat, pounding on their chests, chasing and wrestling each other and climbing.

As an insurance policy for the sometimes reclusive animals, zoo officials plan to always have at least two gorillas in a second, indoor habitat for visitors to watch.

“We’re trying to immerse people into their world,” Reed said. “And if they can come out with an appreciation for wildlife, that’s the most important thing.”