A gorilla at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo celebrated Mother’s Day in a very special way.
“I came in at around 6:30 a.m. on Mother’s Day and Rollie, the mother, had her infant gorilla close on her chest. Later, looking at video footage, she had it at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day,” Jill Moyse, Curator of Primates, told WLS.
The newest male gorilla is Rollie’s second offspring. She previously gave birth to a female named Nayembi in 2012. The unnamed western lowland gorilla joins a family of seven other gorillas, which includes his mother and father (a silverback) three adult females, and three juvenile females.
While this birth marks the 53rd birth at Lincoln Park Zoo, it remains important because western lowland gorillas are considered critically endangered. Regenstein Center for African Apes is currently home to eight gorillas.
“It’s an exciting time to visit Regenstein Center for African Apes where you can see different life stages of the gorillas from newborn infant to full-grown silverback,” Moyse said in a statement.
“Even though this isn’t my first gorilla, I was shocked still and I was really excited. I called my general curator right away and said, ‘We have a new gorilla baby!'” Moyse said.
Although the baby gorilla doesn’t have a name yet, guests will be able to meet him very soon.
Pass this story on to share the good news! A western lowland gorilla has joined the family at Lincoln Park Zoo!
