A mother’s love extends beyond cuttures, countries and even primates.
Earlier this month, Dublin Zoo announced their newest member: a baby gorilla. The western lowland gorilla was born to first-time mother Kafi. Like any new mom, Kafi has been spending her days loving and protecting her newborn, so much so, that zookeepers haven’t been able to determine its sex.
“To date, keepers at Dublin Zoo have been unable to determine the gender of the infant as Kafi has been keeping the baby close to her chest since the birth,” the zoo shares on Facebook.
The image of the mom and her baby has captured the attention of the world. Since then, the zoo has shared additional photos of the adorable duo. One snapshot in particular depicts Kafi smiling down on her baby, and pulls on all the heartstrings. Honestly, this looks like footage straight out of Tarzan.
The newborn is also the first offspring of Bangui since he arrived at Dublin Zoo last year. According to the zoo, Mom and Dad are both naturals.
“Kafi is doing a fantastic job so far as a first-time mother, keeping the young baby physically close in these crucial early stages,” says Helen Clarke-Bennett , team leader of the African Plains at Dublin Zoo. “Bangui is proving to be an attentive father and at night has been sleeping close to Kafi and the baby.”
That’s one lucky baby.
Western lowland gorillas are currently classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the Dublin Zoo’s website explains . The numbers of these primates living in the wild is expected to fall by more than 80 percent between 1980 and 2046 with deforestation, commercial hunting and Ebola threatening their survival.
