An infant gorilla that has been hand-reared at Bristol Zoo Gardens now has a surrogate mum. Western lowland gorilla Hasani, who was born in August last year, was cared for by keepers after his birth-mother, Kala, struggled to look after him. It meant a six-strong team taking it in turns to be with him around the clock for seven months during which he needed feeding up to eight times a day. Two months ago keepers re-introduced him to his mother hoping that she would be able to care for him. Lynsey Bugg, Curator of Mammals at Bristol Zoo Gardens, said: “We really wanted to get them back together and give Kala another chance to look after him. Once Hasani was sufficiently mobile and physically ready for it, we felt the time was right to try them together again.
In the lead up to Christmas, Bristol Zoo Gardens in England welcomed a new member to their gorilla enclosure. The newborn is the second baby western lowland gorilla to be born at the zoo in just six months. The as-of-yet unnamed new arrival joins baby Hasani, who was named by public poll in November shortly after her birth.
Touni, the newborn’s mom, gave birth naturally in the early hours of December 22 in the Gorilla House with dad, Jock, and the rest of the troop nearby as it happened. Keepers were delighted to arrive the next morning to find the baby being cradled by Touni, whose last child, Ayana, was born back in 2017.
Bristol Zoo Gardens celebrates birth of critically endangered baby gorilla
It s the second gorilla birth at the zoo in four months
Updated
The baby gorilla rests in its mother s arms (Image: Bristol Zoo)
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