The first baby gorilla to be born at the Dallas Zoo in two decades is doing well a week after birth, officials say.
Last Monday the zoo welcomed the tiny Western lowland gorilla to its family. Staff haven’t had a chance yet to check on whether the gorilla is a boy or girl, and it is not yet named.
Hope, the baby’s 22-year-old mother, and father Subira have been behind the scenes bonding over the past week. Zookeepers said he was the first to meet the newborn, and gently placed his lips on the baby’s head.
This baby gorilla is only the fifth the zoo has cared for in almost 50 years. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered because of habitat loss, hunting and disease, according to the zoo.
