Questions
Where was the baby gorilla born?
What is the decline in the gorilla population over the last 20-25 years?
Based on the picture of Kiki and her baby, how do you think she feels about him?
Baby Gorilla born in Boston Massachusetts
The Franklin Park Zoo recently welcomed a new member to its gorilla family. On October 14th, a 39-year-old western lowland gorilla named Kiki, gave birth to a son.
The zoo is located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Because of complications during the birth, zoo veterinarians had to perform surgery to help Kiki with the delivery. Thanks to their help, Kiki’s son was born healthy, weighing around 6 pounds, which is big for his species.
The baby gorilla, shown here, is the first male gorilla born at the Franklin Park Zoo. The zoo has yet to give the new gorilla a name. What name would you choose?
Kiki and her son will spend time bonding together in private, before joining the other gorillas at the zoo. The zoo says that so far, the mother and baby gorilla have bonded well. Here you see them resting together.
The Franklin Park Zoo is part of a program called the Gorilla Species Survival Plan. Franklin Park works with other zoos and conservation groups to help make sure gorillas are around for generations to come. This is because western lowland gorillas like Kiki are critically endangered. This means there aren’t many left in the world.
Habitat loss and hunting have caused a 60 percent decline in the gorilla population in the last 20 to 25 years. Scientists say that even if all threats to the gorilla population disappeared, it would still take nearly 75 years for the species to recover.
The Franklin Park Zoo is working to help make sure gorillas are around for generations to come.
Text adapted with permission from NewsCurrents (©2020, Knowledge Unlimited, Inc. All rights reserved)