The Buffalo Zoo is
celebrating the birth of a baby Western Lowland Gorilla!
The baby was born on Wednesday, September 4 to first-time
mother Lily, age 12 and father, Koga, age 26. Lily has displayed strong
maternal instincts and is taking great care of the troop’s latest addition.
Keepers have not been able to get close enough to the baby to determine its
gender, though they believe it is a girl. Both mother and baby are doing
well.
Photo Credit: Kelly Brown
During Lily’s pregnancy, the keeper staff was able to
monitor the baby’s growth using ultrasound technology. Lily had been trained to
present her abdomen to keepers and remain calm during the ultrasound process,
so she did not need to be anesthetized in order to obtain images of the fetus. The
measurement of the baby in utero is important to the study and husbandry of Gorillas.
The gestation period of Gorillas is eight and a half months.
Gorillas begin walking when they are between three and six months of age, and
are weaned around three years of age. Western Lowland Gorillas are found in the
lowland tropical forests of central Africa. The species is Critically Endangered due to loss of habitat as well as the bush meat trade.
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