Mjukuu the western lowland gorillas gave birth this week. That’s great news for the critically endangered species.
An unbearably cute gorilla came into the world this week, representing good news for a critically endangered subspecies—and anyone who appreciates adorable animals.
Mom Mjukuu gave birth to the baby western lowland gorilla at the London Zoo Wednesday morning after a quick 17-minute labor likely to inspire envy in mothers worldwide. Western lowland gorillas are peaceful, non-aggressive primates who live in largely remote rainforests in central and west Africa. Due to poaching and disease, however, conservationists estimate that their numbers in the wild have decreased by more than 60% in the last 20 to 25 years.
Even if all threats to the animals vanished, scientists calculate that the population would take around 75 years to recover, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Western lowland gorillas live in family troops led by a protective silverback male. A silverback named Kiburu fathered the tiny infant born this week. Kiburi arrived at the London Zoo in November 2022, flying in a custom-built crate from a zoo in Tenerife, Spain, as part of an international conservation breeding program aimed at ensuring the preservation of a genetically diverse, healthy population of some of the world’s most vulnerable species.
“To say we’re happy about this new arrival would be a huge understatement,” London Zoo’s Primates Section Manager Kathryn Sanders said in a statement. “We’ve all been walking around grinning from ear to ear.”
The baby’s mom, who was pregnant for about eight and half months, is clearly overjoyed herself. Moments after Mjukuu gave birth, zoo staff witnessed her lovingly cradling and cleaning her newborn, who has a face only a mother and everyone else in the world could love.
The zoo has yet to confirm the sex of the infant, who has remained too closely snuggled in its mom’s arms since Wednesday to be examined. Mother and child will stay in close contact for the first six months of the little one’s life, according to the zoo.
Wednesday morning, London Zoo zookeepers carrying out their usual morning cleaning and feeding duties, noticed Mjukuu stretching and squatting, a sign she had gone into labor. To give the second-time mom space, they monitored her via CCTV cameras.
Once the baby arrived at 9:34 a.m., zoo staff captured heart-melting footage showing Mjukuu and her child, who has yet to be given a name. Might I suggest “Most Charming Critter Ever Born”?
French