The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden are celebrating the arrival of a new bundle of joy. The zoo’s 12-year-old gorilla, Gladys, has given birth to a baby boy.
Baby Boy Gorilla was delivered at the zoo on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8:32 a.m. The zoo says both mom and baby are healthy and doing well.
The infant is Gladys’ first baby and the 51st gorilla born at the Cincinnati Zoo. The zoo says a 24/7 baby watch by Zoo Volunteer Observers (ZVOs) began about four weeks ago over a remote camera.
“The ZVOs reported signs of labor throughout the early hours on Saturday morning, and she was in active labor when I arrived at 5:30 a.m.,” Cincinnati Zoo’s head gorilla keeper, Ashley Ashcraft, said in a press release. “A few hours later, keepers had the honor of quietly observing her birth! She has been very attentive to the baby and is doing all the right things. We are so proud of her.”
The baby’s father is Mbeli, a 23-year-old silverback gorilla who is also a first-time parent. The zoo says he will remain fairly hands-off in raising the baby but will continue to provide protection for both Gladys and the baby within their social group.
Mom and baby are bonding behind the scenes, and the keeper team is currently discussing names and looking for public input. You can submit your ideas on the zoo’s social media channels.
The Cincinnati Zoo says there are about 765 gorillas in zoos worldwide. In the wild, western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, with fewer than 175,000 individuals. You can learn more about the zoo’s gorilla conservation efforts here.
