Adorable baby gorilla born at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle animal lovers got an early gift this holiday season in the form of an adorable gorilla born last week at the Woodland Park Zoo.
A western lowland gorilla was born on Friday, Nov. 20 at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Zoo officials say that the female gorilla is currently being fed on bottle formula and is receiving round-the-clock care.
Nadiri, the baby gorilla's mother, didn't immediately show appropriate maternal behaviors, requiring the zoo to look after the infant. Officials are hopeful that Nadiri will show maternal affection towards her child in the future.
"The best thing for a baby gorilla, or any animal, is to have its mom take care of it," said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at the zoo.
Don't think there's any shortage of love for this baby, though. Ramirez says that the baby gorilla is "flourishing" under zoo care.
"We're very pleased with the baby's first 72 hours, a critical period for newborn gorillas. She's feeding sufficiently and maintaining her body temperature," Ramirez said. "Our focus over the next several days is to ensure this baby remains healthy and to keep moving forward with attempts to unite Nadiri with her baby. We just need to be patient."
The zoo says it will continue to post updates on the baby gorilla when there is more news to share.
