Gorillas at Melbourne Zoo have welcomed a brand-new baby into the world.
The tiny Western Lowland Gorilla, born on Saturday evening, is the seventh to be born at the zoo, but the first in 15 years.
The first-time parents are mum Kimya, originally from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, and silverback Otana, who was shipped over from England as part of an international breeding program.
Melbourne Zoo primate department manager Harna Burton said on Sunday that Kimya was showing “great instincts” and her baby was suckling strongly, which was “a great sign”.
“Baby gorillas are born able to cling onto their mothers and support their own weight … this baby is doing that: another sign it is healthy and strong,” Ms Burton said.
Zoo keepers said Kimya experienced a normal birth.
The sex of the infant is not yet confirmed. A naming competition will take place in the next week or two.
Gorillas are classed as critically endangered, with numbers in the wild in their native central Africa dwindling.
The first gorilla to give birth in Australia, Yuska, also lives at Melbourne Zoo.
This story first appeared in The Age
