London Zoo has a new resident, in the form of an adorable infant Western lowland gorilla.
The tiny infant was born to mum Mjukuu at 09:34am yesterday, following a speedy labour that lasted just 17 minutes.
While the infant is yet to be name, its birth raises fresh hopes for the species, which is currently listed as critically endangered.
‘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,’ said Kathryn Sanders, London Zoo’s Primates Section Manager.
‘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.’
London Zoo has a new resident, in the form of an adorable infant Western lowland gorilla. The tiny infant was born to mum Mjukuu at 09:34am yesterday, following a speedy labour that lasted just 17 minutes
While Mjukuu initially kept the infant to herself, she soon allowed the troop’s younger members, Alika and Gernot, to come meet the new arrival
The gorilla keepers were carrying out their usual morning duties when they first spotted that Mjukuu was in labour.
‘We started our day as normal – we gave the gorillas their breakfast and began our cleaning routines,’ Ms Sanders said.
‘When we returned to their back dens, we could see Mjukuu was starting to stretch and squat – a sign that she was in labour.
‘After a very quick labour – just 17 minutes – Mjukuu was spotted on camera tenderly holding her newborn and demonstrating her wonderful mothering instincts – cleaning her infant and checking it over.’
While Mjukuu initially kept the infant to herself, she soon allowed the troop’s younger members, Alika and Gernot, to come meet the new arrival.
The infant’s father is Kiburi – a male who arrived at London Zoo from Tenerife in November 2022 as part of an international conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas.
The zookeepers have kept their space so far, and so do not yet know the sex of the infant.
However, they’ve made sure to keep an eye on the mother and infant via the CCTV cameras.
Speaking to MailOnline, a spokesperson for London Zoo said: ‘The last gorilla infant born here was a young male named Gernot, in November 2015.
The zookeepers have kept their space so far, and so do not yet know the sex of the infant. However, they’ve made sure to keep an eye on the mother and infant via the CCTV cameras
The infant’s father is Kiburi – a male who arrived at London Zoo from Tenerife in November 2022 as part of an international conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas
‘He’s still here – and absolutely fascinated by the new infant.’
The news will be welcomed by conservation experts, who warn that the species’ numbers have plummeted in recent years.
The exact number of gorillas is not known, because they inhabit some of the most dense and remote rainforests in Africa.
And while experts say that ‘significant populations’ do exist, they warn that large numbers have not protected the western lowland gorilla from decline.
‘Because of poaching and disease, the gorilla’s numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years,’ WWF explained.
‘Even if all of the threats to western lowland gorillas were removed, scientists calculate that the population would require some 75 years to recover.’
HOW MANY WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS ARE LEFT IN THE WILD?
The exact number of animals left is not known because they inhabit some of the densest and remote rainforests in Africa.
However, recent estimates have shown that as few as 360,000 remain across their range.
In addition, scientists predict gorilla numbers have declined by more than 60 per cent over the last 20 to 25 years.
Bristol Zoological Society participates in a conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas, which is vitally important to the survival of this critically endangered species.
A family group of seven western lowland gorillas live at Bristol Zoo Gardens, and two baby gorillas have been born there since 2016.
