Having a bit of a meh day and looking for something to lift your spirits? Or maybe you’re just always in the mood for some good news? Well, we’ve got some adorable animal news that will be sure to brighten up your day. London Zoo welcomed the birth of the second critically endangered gorilla in less than a month.
Gorilla mum Effie gave birth to the newest addition of London Zoo‘s troop on February 8 at 7:44pm at the gym area of the Gorilla Kingdom. The name and sex of the western lowland gorilla baby are not yet confirmed but London Zoo has revealed that they are thrilled to welcome the newborn, born just three and half weeks after Mjukuu had her baby in January.
Effie’s birth was challenging, unlike Mjukuu’s, as the baby was born wrapped in its umbilical cord but has since been safely detached. The challenging birth meant that a close eye was needed to be kept on Effie’s baby. Kathryn Sanders, London Zoo’s primate section manager, said, “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 baby feeding, moving normally and to get a glimpse of its bright eyes peeking out from mum’s arms.”
“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.”
Western lowland gorillas can be found in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea as well as Gabon and the Republic of Congo. In the last 20 to 25 years, their population has dropped drastically by over 60% because of poaching and disease. Even with the elimination of all threats to western lowland gorillas, scientists estimate that it would take approximately 75 years for the population to fully recover.
The staff at London Zoo are allowing mother and baby to bond before they confirm the sex of the newborn.
Find out more about the baby gorilla here. Get tickets to London Zoo here.