Busch Gardens® Tampa has welcomed another endangered western lowland gorilla. The one-week-old female gorilla was born on Feb. 6 at 8:30 p.m. and is being cared for by 27-year-old mother Mary. This birth brings the gorilla troop to seven.
Get a first look at the baby here:
“The first month will be the critical period as the mother, Mary, and the infant begin to integrate into the current gorilla troop, so the Busch Gardens animal care team will be monitoring their progress closely,” said Jeff Andrews, vice president of zoological operations for Busch Gardens.
This is Busch Gardens’ third successful gorilla birth. Bolingo, the suspected sire, was the park’s first gorilla birth in 2005. The mother, Mary, came to Busch Gardens in February 2010 from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas with daughter Pele, who just gave birth this past December to baby Enzi.
This birth is part of Busch Gardens’ participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP). The mission of the SSP is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species populations within AZA-accredited facilities. Busch Gardens’ participation helps create genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations to guarantee the long-term future of these animals.
There are only five subspecies of gorillas left in the wild due to habitat loss and poaching. The SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is committed to sustaining their populations by supporting various initiatives, including the Mbeli Bai Gorilla Study in Northern Congo.
Learn more about western lowland goriallas on your next visit to the Myombe Reserve habitat at Busch Gardens. Plus, in the coming days the baby gorilla will be seen there along with the rest of the gorilla troop. Also, be sure to stay connected for updates on the baby gorilla and more on Busch Gardens' Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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