Denver Zoo is celebrating the birth of a western lowland gorilla, one of the world’s most endangered great apes. The infant was born overnight to first-time mother “Tinga” and has been nursing successfully under her attentive care.
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, with habitat loss and poaching threatening remaining wild populations. The birth was the result of a pairing recommended by the AZA’s Gorilla Species Survival Plan.
“Tinga has been a natural from the first moment,” said gorilla curator Jamie Howell. “Watching her hold and care for her baby with such confidence is one of those moments that reminds you why this work matters.”