The stork stopped by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute recently, and this time, the baby it dropped off is a critically endangered western lowland gorilla – a first in five years at the zoo.

The baby was born between midnight and 6:15 a.m. Saturday to 20-year-old Calaya and 31-year-old Baraka. Because the baby is bonding with its mother, it’ll take time for staff to figure out whether the new addition is a boy or a girl, the zoo said.

This is the second child for both parents. The infant has been clinging to its mother while nursing. 

Calaya and Baraka bred in September 2022; in October, zookeepers used a human pregnancy test to confirm Calaya’s pregnancy. She had already been trained to have ultrasounds, so the team was able to monitor her baby’s growth and development throughout the pregnancy. 

“We are overjoyed to welcome a new infant to our western lowland gorilla troop,” said Becky Malinsky, curator of primates, in a news release. “Calaya is an experienced mother, and I have every confidence she will take excellent care of this baby, as she did with her first offspring, Moke. Since his birth in 2018, it’s been wonderful seeing her nurturing and playful side come out.”

Zoo staff said they are excited to see how Moke responds to his younger sibling.

New addition is part of species survival plan

Calaya and Baraka bred based on recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, which helps manage off-site conservation programs. Scientists figure out which animals to breed using factors such as genetic makeup, health and temperament. 

Keepers say Calaya is protective and cautious. The baby’s father, Baraka, is chill and playful.

“Over the past few years, he has been very tolerant of his 5-year-old son’s antics,” the zoo said.

Gorillas live in groups called troops that are usually made up of a silverback male, one or more blackback males, multiple adult females, and infants and juveniles. 

The zoo’s troop includes Calaya, Baraka, Moke and the newborn, as well as a 41-year-old female named Mandara and her 14-year-old daughter, Kibibi.

Over the past few years, the zoo has updated the community about Calaya’s pregnancies using the hashtag #GorillaStory. 

Her journey will continue to be shared online for those who want to follow along.

Lowland gorillas critically endangered

Lowland gorillas are native to Africa and typically live in forests in Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Congo, the zoo said. 

The species has been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a result of habitat loss, logging and wood harvesting, disease and poaching, the zoo says. Scientists estimate the population of wild western lowland gorillas has decreased by 60% in the past 20 to 25 years.

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