By Laura Elvin via SWNS
London Zoo has welcomed a second critically endangered western lowland gorilla baby.
The endangered infant was born with its cord wrapped around its body after mom Effie went into labour in the gym area of Gorilla Kingdom.
The little one was born on Thursday (Feb. 8) but the arrival was only announced on Feb. 13.
The baby is a half-sibling to the gorilla delivered by mom Mjukuu three and a half weeks ago.
Effie went into labour at around 7:04 pm and the baby was born 40 minutes later.
While the newborn appeared bright and healthy, London Zoo’s gorilla keepers maintained a constant vigil over the weekend.
Thankfully the cord didn’t create any issues and the baby continued to feed and wriggle around, and it has now completely detached.
The new arrival was also fathered by silverback Kiburi, 19, the dad to the baby born in January.
Kiburi arrived at London Zoo from Tenerife in November 2022 as part of a conservation breeding program.
London Zoo’s primates section manager Kathryn Sanders said: “We’re over the moon to have a second gorilla infant born here at London Zoo in the space of a month – these babies are an important addition to the conservation breeding program for this endangered species, and just as crucially, great additions to our troop.
“Effie and her baby kept us on our toes for the first 72 hours, as we wanted to make sure that the attached umbilical cord didn’t pose any risk to the newborn. It was a huge relief to see baby feeding, moving normally and to get a glimpse of its bright eyes peeking out from mum’s arms.
“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!”
Zookeepers will not be able to confirm the sex of the infant yet until the mother lets them closer.
Kathryn added: “It’ll take us some time to confirm the sex of our new arrival, and for now we will focus on letting mum and infant bond and the rest of the troop to get to know their new family member.”
