Baby put to sleep: New details on the Munich gorilla drama – serious allegations against Tierpark Hellabrunn

Created: 03/01/2023, 19:35

By: Julian Limmer

No animal from the gorilla group wanted to take the baby.

© Oliver Bodmer

A baby gorilla had to be euthanized at Hellabrunn Zoo.

New findings show why the mother rejected the newborn.

Munich – It was sad news at the turn of the year: The Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich had to put a gorilla baby to sleep on New Year's Eve morning.

The reason: neither their own mother nor the other four gorillas in the group had accepted the newborn.

Tierpark Hellabrunn: Baby gorilla put to sleep – young animal suffered from serious previous illnesses

The zoo has now announced new details about the drama: the first pathological examinations of the baby had shown that the young animal suffered from serious previous illnesses.

The baby had a bleeding in the head and an advanced navel infection.

"We know from nature that wild animals recognize very early on whether their offspring are healthy and whether rearing them has a chance of success," says Christine Gohl, senior veterinarian at Hellabrunn.

Attempts to bring the baby together with his 35-year-old mother Neema also failed.

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Gorilla drama at Hellabrunn Zoo: animal rights activists criticize the way monkeys are kept in the zoo

However, the birth took the zoo as a complete surprise: in the run-up there were no signs that Neema was pregnant – gorillas always have a pronounced stomach, according to Gohl.

The animal welfare organization Peta has sharply criticized the zoo: "Great apes cannot be kept in captivity in an animal-friendly manner," says Yvonne Würz from Peta.

Sudden deaths of monkeys therefore occur again and again in zoos.