A female gorilla from an endangered subspecies has given birth to a baby at London Zoo, "a real occasion for celebration", the institution announced on Thursday.
This baby western lowland gorilla, whose population has declined by more than 60% over the past 25 years, was born "at 9:34 a.m. Wednesday", after a "rapid delivery lasting 17 minutes", the zoo said in a communicated.
Here are some of the first moments our baby western lowland gorilla spent with mum Mjuuku at our #conservation zoo.
Just hours old, this infant is a precious arrival - a breeding program success for this critically endangered gorilla subspecies.
đź‘Źđź‘Źhttps://t.co/W1TSXgchlV pic.twitter.com/TeKTsSB4Ue
— London Zoo (@zsllondonzoo) January 18, 2024
“We started our day normally, gave the gorillas their breakfast and began our usual cleaning tasks.
When we returned to their enclosure, we could see that Mjukuu (an adult female) was beginning to stretch and crouch, a sign that she was giving birth,” explains Kathryn Sanders, head of the enclosure. primate section at London Zoo.
“To say that we are happy with this birth would be a huge understatement,” she said.
The sex of the baby still unknown
This subspecies of gorillas, present in the tropical forests of Central Africa, is in great decline, victim of hunting, the destruction of their habitat and diseases such as the Ebola virus.
“We will give time and space for the mother and baby to get to know each other, and for the other members of the group to get used to this new presence.
They are as excited as we are and are constantly looking at the baby,” added Kathryn Sanders.
The baby's father is a male called Kiburi, who arrived in November 2022 from the Tenerife Zoo in Spain, as part of a conservation and reproduction program for the species.
Zoo staff have not yet been able to confirm the sex of this baby gorilla, who has remained clinging to his mother's arms since birth.