The Los Angeles Zoo welcomed the birth of a baby gorilla, the fifth and latest addition in a recent baby boom of adorable great apes that included three chimpanzees and one orangutan.
The infant was born on Nov. 22 to a family troop of critically endangered western lowland gorillas. It has yet to be named and its gender has not been identified, but the new baby has been introduced to the public and visitors can now get a look.
This is the second offspring of 31-year-old N’djia and silverback Kelly, 38, whose daughter Angela in 2020 became the first gorilla born at the L.A. Zoo in more than 20 years.
The birth comes at an exciting time for L.A. zookeepers, who have welcomed the five endangered great apes in the span of four months.
The newborn primates are classified as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of dangers the animals face in the wild, including poaching, habitat loss and degradation, as well as disease.
“Seeing the new offspring around the Zoo will hopefully deepen these connections and foster a conservation mindset for our guests to care more about these critically endangered species,” said Misha Body, a deputy director at the zoo, in a news release.
In August, 35-year-old experienced chimpanzee mother Yoshi gave birth to a female offspring, the first chimp born at the L.A. Zoo in more than a decade. Two weeks later, Vindi, an 18-year-old first-time mom, delivered a healthy female infant.
Chimpanzee Zoe, another experienced mom, gave birth to a male infant in November. Zoo officials say the infants will play a beneficial role in the well-being and dynamics of the entire chimpanzee troop, which is one of the largest of any zoo in the country with 17 individuals. With their new additions, the Bornean orangutans now number seven and the western lowland gorillas, eight.
In October, the zoo also welcomed a new Bornean orangutan for the first time in 15 years, born to mom Kalim and dad Isim.
This bounty of great-ape births is no fluke but, rather, a result of breeding recommendations from the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums, which creates specialized plans to determine which animals to prioritize for breeding and which individuals to pair together based on their genetics and other factors to ensure genetic diversity and sustainability of the population.
Guests can see the new western lowland gorilla infant and the family troop at Campo Gorilla Reserve. The three new chimpanzee infants are at the Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains habitat, and the new Bornean orangutan infant is at the zoo’s Red Ape Rain Forest.
The zoo is at 5333 Zoo Drive in Griffith Park and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; note that animals are more active earlier in the day. Tickets are $27 for ages 13 to 61 and $22 for ages 2 to 12.
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