COLUMBUS, Ohio – Officials at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium aren’t sure when the zoo’s newest gorilla baby will be ready to meet his fans.
The baby male was born at 3:22 a.m. Thursday, weighing in at 5 pounds, which officials say is a healthy weight for a newborn gorilla.
This is the first offspring for Kambera, who has displayed a lack of maternal skills.
If efforts to reunite the baby with Kambera are not successful, the animal care team will introduce the baby to a surrogate gorilla mother over the next several months.
In 1999, Kambera was born via one of the first successful gorilla caesarean section procedures ever performed. Her mother was unable to care for her so Kambera was cared for by a surrogate, zoo staff said.
Animal care experts are raising the baby amid around-the-clock neonatal care and nurturing while spending a significant amount of time close to Kambera in hopes of reuniting the baby with her soon.
This is also the first offspring for 24-year-old Oliver, who is deaf and is believed to have lost his hearing at a very young age, before coming to the Columbus Zoo in 2009.
-Photos courtesy G. Jones, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, 2013