Today we’ve got some ape-solutely adorable news for you. A baby gorilla from the critically endangered western lowland species has been welcomed as the latest resident at London Zoo.
The mother of the newborn, Mjukuu, gave birth yesterday (January 17) after an eight-and-a-half month pregnancy and a super speedy labour. London Zoo are yet to announce the gender of the infant, but have confirmed that they are all ‘grinning from ear to ear’ about the new arrival.
Whilst completing their daily duties, zookeepers noticed that Mjukuu was in labour. Wanting to give her some privacy, they left her to give birth, watching carefully via the CCTV. Moments after giving birth, Mjukuu was then seen lovingly holding her newborn, cleaning it, and lovingly checking it over; instantly demonstrating her wonderful mothering instincts.
The western lowland subspecies is critically endangered, with their population having plummeted by more than 60% in the past 25 years as a result of illegal poaching and disease.
The father of the new arrival is Kibiri, a gorilla who arrived at London Zoo in November 2022 as part of their international conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas. The programme ensures the preservation of a genetically diverse and healthy population of the gorilla subspecies.
London Zoo’s Primates Section Manager, Kathryn Sanders, said: “To say we’re happy about this new arrival would be a huge understatement – we’ve all been walking around grinning from ear to ear. We’ll be giving mum and baby lots of time and space to get to know each other, and for the rest of the troop to get used to their new addition – they’re as excited as we are and can’t stop staring at the baby.”
I’m not crying, you are…
Find out more about the baby gorilla here.
