A baby western lowland gorilla was born at Dublin Zoo early on Saturday, just two months after its father died.
Zookeepers have so far been unable to determine the baby’s gender as its mother, Lena, is keeping her new arrival close to her chest.
This is Lena’s seventh baby.
According to the animal care team at Dublin Zoo, Lena 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 baby [to] go more than an arm’s length away.”
The baby’s father was a silverback gorilla named Harry, who passed away in May.
Harry was the leader of the zoo’s gorilla troop. He and Lena had been mates for 21 years.
New arrival
“It has been a sad time for the team after Harry’s death and this has really put a smile on everyone’s face,” said Helen Clarke-Bennett, leader of the care team responsible for the gorillas.
“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, with the numbers living in the wild expected to fall by more than 80 per cent between 1980 and 2046 due to the threats from hunting and Ebola.