Western Lowland Gorilla Infant Born at Belfast Zoo

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: November 12, 2021 12:01 am

A western lowland gorilla infant born on Friday October 8th 2021 clings to mother Kamili

Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoo have celebrated the birth of a critically endangered western lowland gorilla infant born to mother Kamili and father Gugas in the early hours of Friday October 8th 2021.

Keepers are yet to determine the gender of the infant and as such are yet to name it. For the next few months the infant will cling to its mother’s stomach making this difficult to determine.

A western lowland gorilla infant born on Friday October 8th 2021 clings to mother Kamili

Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo

Mother Kamili gave birth to the infant naturally with the rest of the family nearby including father, Gugas.

Zoo Curator, Julie Mansell said, “ Mother and baby are doing very well and our zookeepers are giving them essential time to bond. The infant looks strong and healthy and Kamili is an experienced and excellent mother. We will continue to keep a close eye on them both but everything is looking very positive.”

Kamili is an experienced mother having welcomed another infant with Gugas back in 2014. That infant was a female named ‘Kibibi’ which means ‘little lady’ in Swahili.

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Western lowland gorillas are classed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their population is estimated at less than 100,000.

Julie Mansell explained, “This birth is fantastic news for Belfast Zoo, as we are part of an internationally important breeding and conservation programme which is designed to help safeguard the future of western lowland gorillas. Gorillas are facing the real and severe risk of extinction in their native habitat due to habitat loss as well as the pet trade. Adults are also killed for bushmeat and trophy hunting.”

A western lowland gorilla infant born on Friday October 8th 2021 clings to mother Kamiliium

Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo

The father of the new arrival is Gugas who arrived in 1998. He was born in the wild but unfortunately both his parents were killed and he was acquired from a Portuguese circus by Lisbon Zoo. Later he was transferred to Stuttgart Zoo in Germany where he joined other orphaned gorillas in a nursery group.

Despite his rough start to life he has fathered four infants at Belfast Zoo.

Learn more about Western Lowland Gorillas here – Western Lowland Gorilla Fact File | The Animal Facts

Learn more about the Belfast Zoo on their website – Belfast Zoo