It's a girl! Zoo Atlanta welcomes newborn gorilla
Western lowland gorilla born at Zoo Atlanta. (Credit: Josh Meyerchick)
ATLANTA - Congratulations are in order to Kambera, a western lowland gorilla at Zoo Atlanta, who welcomed a baby girl into the world on Wednesday.
Kambera, 25, appears to be showing positive maternal inclinations toward her newborn, who hasn't been named yet. She enjoys holding her little one and responding to the baby's vocal cues.
Her next step will be nursing on her own.
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Although the animal care and veterinary teams aren't expecting things to change, they put a plan in place in case Kambera rejects the new baby.
"We are very encouraged and cautiously optimistic that the baby will be able to nurse regularly in the near future," said Sam Rivera, DVM, Vice President of Animal Health. "Intervention is never a preferred measure unless an infant’s health is in question, as we always want to see gorilla babies remain with their mothers with no human interference. Fortunately, our teams were prepared for a variety of outcomes with this birth. We continue to closely watch both Kambera and the infant to ensure both remain healthy."
The new baby marks Zoo Atlanta's 26th gorilla birth.
Check out Zoo Atlanta's Gorilla Cam.