The recent arrival has the zoo personnel “over the moon,” who see the babies as a valuable complement to the conservation breeding program for the endangered species.
At the London Zoo, a second extremely endangered gorilla was born less than a month after the birth of Mother Mjukuu’s first child.
Born at 7:44 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, the young western lowland gorilla, who has joined the zoo’s endangered species breeding program, was born to mother Effie.
On Thursday night, around 7:04 p.m., Effie went into labor. The Gorilla Kingdom gym is where she gave birth.
The baby was delivered wrapped in its umbilical cord, which made Effie’s birth less simple than that of fellow mother Mjukuu, according to The Express.
According to reports, the young gorilla was constantly watched throughout the weekend in case there was any danger from the chord. The gorilla caretakers at the zoo were relieved that there were no problems.
The 19-year-old silverback at the zoo, Kiburi, is the father of both kids.
November 2022 saw Kiburi come to London Zoo from Tenerife as a member of the conservation breeding program. This protects the gorilla subspecies’ genetically varied and robust population.
London Zoo’s Primates Section Manager, Kathryn Sanders, said as per the Express: “We’re over the moon to have a second gorilla infant born here at London Zoo in the space of a month — these babies are an important addition to the conservation breeding program for this endangered species, and just as crucially, great additions to our troop.
“Effie and her baby kept us on our toes for the first 72 hours, as we wanted to make sure that the attached umbilical cord didn’t pose any risk to the newborn. It was a huge relief to see the baby feeding and moving normally and to get a glimpse of its bright eyes peeking out from mum’s arms.
“The two youngsters will now grow up side by side, much like their older siblings Alika and Gernot did — they’ll love having a permanent playmate!”
Zookeepers cannot yet confirm the infant’s sex. They’ll bide their time until Effie offers them a clear chance to act.
Ms Sanders added: “It’ll take us some time to confirm the sex of our new arrival, and for now we will focus on letting mum and infant bond and the rest of the troop to get to know their new family member.”
The baby increases the population of gorillas and raises awareness of the severely endangered subspecies.
In the past 25 years, its wild population has decreased by more than 60% as a result of poaching and sickness.
London Zoo is stepping up its conservation efforts to save the habitats of western lowland gorillas in the West Congo Basin as a part of the global conservation charity ZSL.
ZSL wants to center its conservation efforts around the needs of the local community. It claims that by doing this, it will be able to encourage the development of other sources of income for those who would otherwise be dependent on the region’s natural resources.
In order to save the gorillas’ habitat and those of other endangered species in the region, the organization is also eager to assist in innovative land-use planning that would lessen the effects of deforestation.
You may schedule a visit with the gorilla troop at London Zoo and learn more about it here.
