London Zoo has welcomed a critically endangered western lowland gorilla infant, after a speedy 17-minute labour.
The tiny infant was born at the conservation zoo to mother Mjukuu on Wednesday, following an approximately eight-and-a-half-month-long pregnancy.
London Zoo’s gorilla keepers were carrying out their usual morning duties when they first spotted that Mjukuu was in labour. Giving the experienced mother some space, they monitored her via CCTV cameras installed in the dens.
Moments after giving birth in the privacy of their back dens, Mjukuu could be seen gently cradling her newborn, before allowing the troop’s curious youngsters Alika and Gernot to examine the intriguing new arrival.
Kathryn Sanders, London Zoo’s primates section manager, said: “We started our day as normal – we gave the gorillas their breakfast and began our cleaning routines. 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.”
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***From The Telegraph’s reporters:***
London Zoo has welcomed a critically endangered western lowland gorilla infant, after a speedy 17-minute labour.
The tiny infant was born at the conservation zoo to mother Mjukuu on Wednesday, following an approximately eight-and-a-half-month-long pregnancy.
London Zoo’s gorilla keepers were carrying out their usual morning duties when they first spotted that Mjukuu was in labour. Giving the experienced mother some space, they monitored her via CCTV cameras installed in the dens.
Moments after giving birth in the privacy of their back dens, Mjukuu could be seen gently cradling her newborn, before allowing the troop’s curious youngsters Alika and Gernot to examine the intriguing new arrival.
Kathryn Sanders, London Zoo’s primates section manager, said: “We started our day as normal – we gave the gorillas their breakfast and began our cleaning routines. 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.”
**Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/18/endangered-gorilla-born-london-zoo/**