Photo + Video: Take a Look At The Adorable New Baby Gorilla Born At The Audubon Zoo

Who doesn’t love fluffy lovable baby animals? Well, you are in luck because a new baby animal has arrived at the Audubon Zoo! The baby is a critically endangered western lowland gorilla. 

According to the Zoo and NOLA.COM, this marks the first birth of a gorilla at the NOLA zoo in over 20 years. The baby was born this past weekend and does not have a name as of today, Tuesday, September 8, and the staff has not yet determined the sex of the animal. 

The baby gorillas’ parents have been residents of Audubon for some time now, their names are Tumani, who is the mother, and Okpara, who is the father. Tumani came to the zoo in late 2017, and the father Okpara also joined Tumani in NOLA in 2017. In a video released by the zoo this morning, officials announced the baby and its mother are very healthy and happy.

And if you are not overloaded from all the cuteness, the zoo has put together an online baby shower registry for Tumani, which includes jumbo blocks and dozens of other items! 

Take a look at some of the adorable photos and videos released by the zoo and NOLA.COM below! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We’ve got wonderful news – Tumani and Okpara’s infant has been born at Audubon Zoo! ❤️ This critically endangered western lowland gorilla was born in the morning hours of September 4, 2020. Mother and infant are doing well! Animal care staff are closely monitoring the infant’s health to ensure that Tumani and baby are receiving the care needed. The World of Primates section of Audubon Zoo will be closed while Tumani, infant, and the troop bond. We anticipate reopening World of Primates as soon as animal care staff feel that mother and infant have properly bonded. All gorillas will have access to their outdoor habitat, so you may catch a glimpse of the new addition during your Zoo visit once World of Primates has reopened. You can spot the infant by a small white patch of hair on its rump. The patch will fade away when the gorilla reaches three to four years of age. This white patch helps mother gorillas keep track of infants and assists other group members in identifying the gorilla as an infant. #SavingSpecies

A post shared by Audubon Nature Institute (@auduboninstitute) on Sep 8, 2020 at 6:12am PDT