Belfast Zoo is celebrating the birth of its first Western Lowland gorilla in 16 years.
The as-yet unnamed male was born to to mother Kwanza, and father Gugas.
Gugas, the zoo’s Silverback gorilla, was born in the wild. He arrived in Belfast Zoo in 1998.
Zoo curator Julie Mansell said the fact Gugas was born in the wild means he is genetically very important to the European breeding programme, as he is not represented in the zoo population.
“Because Gugas is so important, last year we decided to test his fertility. The results were less than promising and it was suspected that Gugas would never father any infants,” she said.
“You can therefore imagine the entire team’s delight when we discovered that Kwanza was pregnant with her little miracle.”
Zoo manager Mark Challis said the arrival of the gorilla, born on August 3rd, is very important.
“In recent decades, gorilla populations have declined by more than 50 per cent and this is predominantly due to threats caused by humans, including bushmeat trade, habitat destruction and viruses,” he said.
“We are delighted that as a zoo, we can play an active role in the conservation of these apes, especially as Gugas’s genetics are so important. We hope that this is the first of many more to come.”