The Los Angeles Zoo announced Tuesday that a new baby gorilla was born late last month, the fifth great ape born at the facility this year.
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The baby has not yet been named and the gender is still unknown. The infant was born to a 31-year-old mother, N'djia and a 38-year-old silverback named Kelly.
This is the pair's second child, as their first, Angela, was born at the zoo in 2020. N'djia and the baby are safely bonding behind the scenes and are now on exhibit at Campo Gorilla Reserve, joining the rest of their family troop of western lowland gorillas.
"This is an exciting year for the L.A. Zoo with all of the new great ape infants," Misha Body, deputy zoo director of animals and experiences, said in a statement. "Our guests already love Angela and have such a bond with her. Seeing the new offspring around the zoo will hopefully deepen these connections and foster a conservation mindset for our guests to care more about these critically endangered species."
Western lowland gorillas are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Populations continue to decline in the wild due to illegal hunting, diseases such as the Ebola virus, and as a result of the destruction and degradation of their habitat.
While killing, capturing, and consumption of great apes is illegal, hunting for bushmeat is the primary reason for the western lowland gorilla's decline, according to zoo officials.
This species of gorilla is native to the lowlands and swamp forests of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola.
These animals are peaceful, social and live in stable, cohesive groups composed of one silverback adult male, several adult females and their offspring.
Zoo officials said the birth of the baby gorilla marks the final addition to a baby boom of great apes at the L.A. Zoo, which occurred over a four-month period.
In August, 35-year-old chimpanzee, Yoshi, gave birth to her third baby, the first chimpanzee born at the zoo in more than a decade. Two weeks later, Vindi, an 18-year-old and first-time mom, also delivered a healthy infant.
The third chimpanzee baby was born in November to mother Zoe.
The fourth great ape baby was born in October, a new Bornean orangutan. The male infant was the first of his species to be born at the zoo in nearly 15 years, according to zoo officials.
"Each of these successful great ape births at the zoo this year are a testament to the high level of care and well-being our team provides," Dominick Dorsa II, director of animal care, said in a statement. "I am excited for the staff and for our guests to have the opportunity to see all of these new infants as they mature and the troops exhibit new behaviors."
Visitors to the zoo can see the new western lowland gorilla infant and the family troop at Campo Gorilla Reserve, weather permitting. Guests can also see the three new chimpanzee babies at the Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains habitat, as well as the new Bornean orangutan infant at the Red Ape Rain Forest exhibit.
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