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By Rachel Dobkin
Weekend Reporter
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A baby gorilla was born at the Detroit Zoo in Michigan on Thursday, which is a first in the zoo's 96-year history.
The gorilla, who does not have a name and whose sex has yet to be determined, is the child of gorillas Bandia, the mother, and Mshindi, the father.
"Bandia had a very smooth pregnancy, which is so important for a first-time mom," Tami Brightrall, the zoo's associate curator of mammals, told the Associated Press (AP).
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For months, zoo workers prepared the other gorillas for the birth, which included carrying around a stuffed gorilla in the habitat to show how to carry a baby.
"Our teams also taught the gorillas how to gently touch the stuffed animal, pick it up off the ground and bring it to a member of the team over at the mesh barrier," Brightrall said.
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Although many people will probably want to rush to see the baby gorilla, the public won't immediately be able to visit the habitat.
"The area will reopen once the animal care team determines mom and baby have had enough time to bond and become comfortable in their habitat," Melissa Thueme, a mammal supervisor, told the AP.
Baby gorillas, and infant animals in general, tend to captivate the public's attention.
In January 2022, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio shared a video of a baby gorilla crawling for the first time on Facebook, and it has since generated 333,000 views and 14,000 likes.
"Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's gorilla team captured the adorable moment that Baby G propelled himself on his own!" the post's caption read. "Watch as adoptive mother, Freddy, encourages his developmental movements while giving him space to explore on his own."
Facts About Gorillas
According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Gorillas share 98.3 percent of their DNA with humans, and they also reproduce similarly to humans. Like humans, female gorillas gestate around eight to nine months, and they usually give birth to one baby at a time. Mother gorillas will also nurture their children for multiple years and they typically reproduce just once every four to six years.
Different from human social norms, gorillas are polygamous. One adult male gorilla will lead the troop and mate with multiple female gorillas in the troop.
Gorillas are social animals that express an array of emotions and are highly intelligent, the IFAW says on its website.
The mammals are on the endangered species list. However, they were downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered in November 2018 due to new protected areas being designated for some gorilla populations and the increase in the population of mountain gorillas in recent years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
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