The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (Aug. 26, 2024) — The Detroit Zoo announced today that the baby gorilla born on Aug. 8, 2024 – the first in the Zoo’s 96-year-history – is a female and continuing to thrive under the care of her mother, Bandia.
Now, the next step is giving this baby girl a name – and the public has the opportunity to do just that!
Beginning Monday, Aug. 26, Zoo lovers can cast their vote by choosing their favorite name amongst the following finalists:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 20, 2024) – The Louisville Zoo has welcomed a 1 ½-month-old infant male western lowland gorilla named Abeo (ah-bay-OH) to our award-winning Gorilla Forest habitat. His name means “bringer of happiness” in Yoruba, a language spoken in West Africa. Born on June 28 at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington., the infant is the offspring of Akenji, a first-time mom. When Akenji was unable to bond with her infant and when training another foster didn’t progress fast enough, Woodland Park officials moved into quick action to find suitable care for the infant gorilla.
POWELL, OH – The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is celebrating the arrival of a baby western lowland gorilla, who was born during the early morning hours of Saturday, June 29, 2024 to first-time mother, Sue, and experienced father, Ktembe.
The Zoo’s expert Animal Care team continues to monitor the gorillas and report that Sue is very attentive and providing excellent care to her little one, who she nuzzles and cradles closely. To ensure that Sue and her newborn have time to bond with minimal interruptions, the care team will determine the sex of the baby at a later date. The western lowland gorilla is a social species, and Ktembe and the other adult females—Nia and Cassie (both age 30)—are together with Sue and her baby but also respectfully providing them with some space. Four-year-old female, Jamani (born to Cassie and Ktembe), is more curious and is gently corrected by other members of the troop if she seems a little too eager for playtime with her new half sister.
A labor of love: Fort Worth Zoo staff and human medical specialists rally to save lives of female gorilla and premature baby
FORT WORTH, TEXAS – The Fort Worth Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a female gorilla successfully delivered via emergency cesarean at the Zoo on Jan. 5, 2024, after life-threatening complications impacted the health of the mother. This is the third gorilla birth in the Zoo’s 115-year history but the first gorilla to be born via cesarean section, requiring life-saving care for the mother and premature infant gorilla, involving medical experts from the human world.
Conservation zoo celebrates precious addition to breeding programme for threatened gorilla subspecies
London Zoo has welcomed a critically endangered western lowland gorilla infant, after a speedy 17-minute labour.
The tiny infant was born at the conservation zoo to mum Mjukuu at 9:34am on Wednesday 17 January 2024, following an approximately eight-and-a-half-month long pregnancy.
It’s pretty cold out there, so we thought we’d warm your hearts with this charming moment between Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s western lowland gorilla, ‘Yewande’, and her infant, ‘Okabe’! 🥰🦍
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo today announced that guests now have a chance to see the newborn gorilla and the rest of the troop daily at the Zoo’s Primate, Cat & Aquatics building.
Born on July 19 to mom, Kebi Moyo (32), and dad, Mokolo (36), the newborn Western lowland gorilla is only the second gorilla born at the Zoo in its 141 years after Kayembe, who was born in 2021. Kebi and the newborn have continued to show positive signs of development including nursing and bonding amongst the other members of the troop.
Weighing approximately 4 lbs. at birth, newborn gorillas are in almost constant contact with their mother for the first six months and nurse for about three years. During this time, Kebi and the infant may not be visible at times throughout the day based on their individual needs.
A newborn baby gorilla has arrived at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, bringing two surprises that delighted the care team and are of great importance for the conservation of a critically endangered species.
Surprise #1: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's gorilla family recently welcomed a baby gorilla, a birth that was unexpected, yet exciting for the care team and important for the conservation of a critically endangered species.
Surprise #2: The baby's mother, 8-year-old Sully, was believed to be a male gorilla before this surprise birth.
Photo credit: Graham S. Jones, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Kent, 14 June 2023: Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury, on June 14th, officially marked the birth of its 150th baby gorilla, further cementing their status as the leading breeder of this precious species.
The young male, named Kumbi, was born in July 2022 and has spent the past few months forging a strong bond with his family and keepers. The increasingly confident baby gorilla can be seen in the gorilla enclosure alongside his family troop.
Following Public Vote, the Western Lowland Gorilla at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Receives Her Name
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s (NZCBI) 2-week-old western lowland gorilla received her name today. After five days of voting and just over 25,000 votes, the winning name is Zahra [ZAH-rah], which means “beautiful flower” in Swahili. It was one of three names that were offered for a public online vote from June 5 to June 9 on the Zoo’s website. Zahra received 12,071 votes—50% of the total votes. Lola [LOH-la], Yoruba for “greatness,” came in second with 7,894 votes, or 30% of the total. In third place was Mkali [M-KAH-lee], Swahili for “fierce,” which received 5,563 votes, or 20% of the total.
Zahra was born at the Zoo’s Washington, D.C., campus May 27 and is the second offspring for both 20-year-old mother Calaya and 31-year-old father Baraka. Other members of NZCBI’s western lowland gorilla troop include Zahra’s brother, 5-year-old Moke, as well as a 41-year-old female named Mandara and her 14-year-old daughter, Kibibi. Virtual visitors can stay up-to-date on Zahra’s milestones on the Zoo’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts with the hashtag #GorillaStory. Great Ape House visitors can see the western lowland gorilla troop and meet an animal keeper at 11:30 a.m. daily.
Native to Africa, western lowland gorillas live in the forests of Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Congo. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the western lowland gorilla as critically endangered due to habitat loss, disease and poaching. The public can help protect western lowland gorillas’ natural habitat by making environmentally conscious decisions. One of the metals inside electronic devices, tantalum, is mined from areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where gorillas live. Recycling electronics that contain tantalum—including cell phones, computers, tablets, cameras, gaming consoles, hearing aids and GPS navigation systems—can help protect gorilla habitat by greatly reducing the demand for more expansive mining.
