By Aimee Braniff Cree
INCREDIBLY rare and intimate images show six week old and a three week old baby Western Lowland gorillas captured on Friday March 1st 2024.
Images show the newborns, who have not yet been named and share the same father, both close to their mums Mjukuu and Effie.
The half-siblings born just three and a half weeks apart were both fathered by silverback Kiburi, who arrived at London Zoo from Tenerife in November 2022 as part of the international conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas.
Both births are celebrated as remarkable moments in the zoos breeding programme as the western lowland gorilla is one of two critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla.
Mother Mjukuu’s baby entered the world after a speedy 17-minute labour.
The tiny infant was born at London conservation zoo at 9:34am on Wednesday 17th January 2024, following an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.
Moments after giving birth in the privacy of their dens, second-time mum Mjukuu could be seen gently cradling her newborn, before allowing the troop’s curious youngsters Alika and Gernot to examine the intriguing new arrival.
“We started our day as normal, we gave the gorillas their breakfast and began our cleaning routines. When we returned to their back dens, we could see Mjukuu was starting to stretch and squat, a sign that she was in labour,” stated Primates Section Manager Kathryn Sanders
“After a very quick labour, just 17 minutes, Mjukuu was spotted on camera tenderly holding her newborn and demonstrating her wonderful mothering instincts – cleaning her infant and checking it over.”
Then on February 8th 2024 the zoo prepared for another gorilla arrival, this time things were slightly more complicated as the baby was tangled in its umbilical cord.
The mother, Effie, first went into labour at 7.04pm, in the gym area of the zoo’s Gorilla Kingdom. However it soon became clear that Effie’s birth would not be as straightforward as the zoo’s previous birth.
When the baby gorilla was born it was wrapped in its umbilical cord, which the zookeepers feared would put it at risk.
Although the infant appeared healthy, the keepers kept monitoring its progress over the weekend to ensure there were no further issues.
The gorilla keepers were relieved to see that the cord did not cause any issues, with the baby continuing to feed and the cord soon detaching.
The keepers will be unable to identify the new arrival’s sex until Effie allows them to do so.
The programme aims to ensure the next generation of the gorilla subspecies is genetically diverse and healthy.
The zookeeper’s hope that the new additions will raise awareness of the critically-endangered species.
London Zoo says that poaching and disease has caused numbers in the wild to decline by 60 per cent in the last 25 years.
“We’re over the moon to have a second gorilla infant born here at London Zoo in the space of a month,” said Kathryn.
“These babies are an important addition to the conservation breeding programme for this endangered species, and just as crucially, great additions to our troop.
“The two youngsters will now grow up side by side, much like their older siblings Alika and Gernot did, they’ll love having a permanent playmate.”
The babies were photographed by Gary Cox (53) from Manchester, England.
Gary captured the perfect primates on his Canon 80D with Sigma 150-600mm lens.
“The baby gorillas were being kept very close to their mums chest, literally,” said Gary.
“Every now and then I caught a glimpse of the baby’s face but it was only fleeting as it then snuggled back into mum’s fur.
“Mum was also making sure the baby’s nails and hands were nice and clean too.
“Gorillas are very nurturing and keep the baby close at all times, particularly when so young. They will be in constant contact with their mums for the first six months.
“Although gorillas can be very aggressive they are also patient and gentle with their young.
“It was an amazing feeling seeing these two important babies so soon after their births.
“It epitomises the magic of nature and the animal kingdom. You simply can’t stop watching them and I could have stayed there all day.
“I have several favourites but the one where the baby is licking mum’s face is a moment in time.
“I also like the torso shot where the baby is snuggled into mum’s chest. There are also some shots with babies face by mum’s hands which highlights just how tiny it is.
“Moments like these are truly priceless, particularly for a photographer.
“Births like these are few and far between so being able to capture shots just fills me with joy.”
ENDS
