Baby gorilla is born at Dublin Zoo

THERE were celebrations at Dublin Zoo last week following the birth of a bouncing baby Western lowland Gorilla.

Proud mum, Lena, gave birth to the healthy, baby gorilla in the early hours of Saturday morning on July 16.

The new-born weighs approximately 1.8kgs and so far keepers have been unable to determine the gender because Lena is keeping the baby close to her chest. And you don’t argue with a mothering gorilla!

Lena, who was born in 1984, is an experienced mum and this is her seventh baby. The baby’s father was silverback Harry, who sadly passed away in May.

Helen Clarke-Bennett, leader of the animal care team responsible for the gorillas, said everybody at the zoo was “absolutely thrilled” with the birth of the baby.

“The youngster is doing very well and is very bright and alert,” she said.

“Within minutes the baby was feeding from mum Lena, which is a very good sign.

“Lena is a great mother and so far she hasn’t let go of her new-born. She will continue to cradle the baby in her arms non-stop for the next two to three months.

“When she does eventually let the toddler out of her arms to explore, the youngster won’t go far because Lena will not allow the youngster go more than an arm’s length away.

“It has been a sad time for the team after Harry’s death and this has really put a smile on everyone’s face. Big brother Kituba is taking a keen interest in the new arrival and the rest of the troop has reacted very well.

“The new arrival is a great success for Dublin Zoo as part of the European breeding programme for these critically endangered primates.”

Western Lowland Gorillas are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The numbers of these primates living in the wild is expected to fall by over 80 per cent between 1980 and 2046 with commercial hunting and the highly contagious Ebola virus being the two main threats facing their survival.