Prepare to squeal with adoration as you welcome baby gorilla "Elle" to the world! Born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, she’s quite a milestone, being not only the 50th critically endangered western lowland gorilla born at the zoo since 1970, but also the first offspring of her 14-year-old mother, Anju.
“As a first-time mom, Anju is still a little awkward with the proper positioning of the baby but we think she is slowly getting the hang of it,” Curator of Primates Ron Evans says in a press release. Elle’s father, a silverback named Jomo, is a little more experienced, having had two other offspring before. “He kept other gorillas ... away from [Anju] during labor and delivery,” says Evans.
Western lowland gorillas like Elle and Anju are critically endangered. The exact population numbers are unknown because they live in dense and remote African rainforests that are nearly impossible for scientists to navigate in order to monitor populations. Bushmeat hunters who target the animals both for food and traditional medicine pose a major threat – it's estimated that around 5% of the gorilla population is killed by hunters each year.
Cincinnati Zoo’s gorillas are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a system designed by the American Zoo Association to manage breeding and population control of threatened and endangered species under human care. It allows genetic diversity to be mapped over multiple institutions, ensuring that populations stay as diverse and healthy as possible.
Elle’s mother, Anju, was matched with Jomo via the SSP back in 2012. As Elle grows up and reaches sexual maturity, she too will join the SSP breeding programme to help ensure a future for her species.
So why name her Elle? It's a reference to the letter “L”, which is the Roman numeral for 50. “It is a very rare thing for any zoo to have 50 babies born and we wanted that to be recognized in the baby’s name,” explains Evans.
Planning a trip to the zoo just to see this adorable baby girl? The zoo claims that the best time of day to see her is at around mid-morning. Follow #CZBGBabyGorilla for updates.
Top header image: Jeff McCurry/Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens
WTF!?
Endangered
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