Mayombé, a gorilla from Beauval Zoo, in the Center-Val de Loire region, gave birth to a gorilla on June 13 in a natural environment in Gabon, the park management announced on Tuesday June 29.
This is the first time that a baby gorilla has been born to two parents from zoological parks and reintroduced into the natural environment, according to Beauval.
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"
This first baby gorilla of our female, Mayombé, is extraordinary news for all our teams so devoted to conservation at Beauval
", declares Rodolphe Delord, president of ZooParc de Beauval.
Mayombé was born in Beauval in 2007 and Djongo, the male reintroduced with her, was born at the zoo in Port Lympne, England.
This birth is the “
culmination
” of the work carried out for so many years.
Delphine Delord, associate director of Zooparc de Beauval et de Beauval, speaks of "
immense hope for conservation
".
"
Today we celebrate the hope for a better future for this critically endangered species, thanks to the work done both in zoos and in the field,
" she added in a statement. published on the zoo's website.
A baby gorilla is born after eight and a half months of gestation.
The female gorilla is fertile for three years, between six and nine years.
