Baby gorilla cuddled by mother at London Zoo remains nameless
The newest endangered baby gorilla at the London Zoo is more than six weeks old but doesn’t yet have a name
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The newest endangered baby gorilla at the London Zoo is more than six weeks old but doesn’t yet have a name. Zookeepers aren’t even sure if it’s a male or female because they haven’t been able to get close enough to examine it.
A photo taken Monday by The Associated Press shows why: The gorilla's mother, Effie, has the baby in her loving cuddle.
“It’s actually quite tricky to sex a young gorilla without a close-up examination,” said Rebecca Blanchard, a zoo spokesperson. “The infant is still held closely by its mum most of the time, and here at London Zoo, we leave the baby in mum’s capable hands.”
The tiny ape that arrived Feb. 8 is one of two baby western lowland gorillas born at the zoo this winter. Another mother, Mjukuu, gave birth to a little one almost a month earlier.
Both babies were sired by Kiburi, a 19-year-old silverback brought to the zoo five years ago from Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands as part of a conservation breeding program to help preserve the critically endangered gorilla subspecies.
The birth of Effie's baby wasn't simple. The gorilla arrived wrapped in its umbilical cord, posing a possible threat to its life.
Zookeepers watched over it for the first three days, making sure it continued to feed and move around until the cord finally detached.
London Zoo, located within Regent's Park, is opening a new habitat to the public on Friday called The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians to replace its old Reptile House.