Enlarge image
Mother Mjukuu with her newborn baby gorilla at London Zoo
Photo: Jonathan Kemeys / AFP
Offspring for an endangered gorilla species: A western lowland gorilla was born in London, the zoo in the British capital announced.
The tiny baby was born on Wednesday morning just 17 minutes after labor began.
First, mother Mjukuu cuddled the little one before allowing other cubs to examine the new arrival.
Gorilla papa Kiburi came to London from Tenerife in November 2022 as part of an international conservation program.
It has yet to be determined whether the baby gorilla is male or female.
His name has not yet been determined either.
Kathryn Sanders, who is in charge of primates at London Zoo, said the gorillas were "as excited as we are about the baby and can't stop staring at the baby."
To say they were excited about the baby gorilla would be an understatement - "we're all walking around grinning from ear to ear."
The population of western lowland gorillas, which live in dense and remote rainforests in West and Central Africa, has declined by more than 60 percent in the past 25 years.
According to the Zoological Society of London, this is caused by deforestation, poaching and disease.
Mjukuu was closely monitored during her pregnancy: the zookeepers watched her the entire time using surveillance cameras.
kim/dpa/AFP