The Detroit Zoo announced on Friday that a baby gorilla has been born for the first time in the zoo's 96-year history.
According to the zoo, 26-year-old Bandia, a first-time mother, gave birth in the early morning hours on Thursday, Aug. 8.
SEE VIDEO OF BANDIA AND THE BABY BELOW
The zoo said mom and baby, along with the father, 36-year-old Mshindi, are doing well.
“Bandia had a very smooth pregnancy, which is so important for a first-time mom,” said Tami Brightrall, associate curator of mammals for the Detroit Zoological Society. “Throughout her eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy, she continued to participate in routine ultrasounds using positive reinforcement training methods, which allowed our team to check on the baby along the way and ensure everything was going well.”
The new gorilla does not yet have a name, and is now the fifth gorilla to call the zoo home. Along with Bandia and Mshindi, there is 20-year-old Tulivu and 11-year-old Nayembi, who arrived at the zoo in August 2023.
Mammal and private teams, along with vet staff at the Detroit Zoo, have been working to prepare Bandia for motherhood and make sure the rest of the troop was ready for the arrival of the new baby.
“Animal care staff actually carried a stuffed gorilla around the habitat while interacting with the troop to properly demonstrate how to carry a baby,” Brightrall said. “Our teams also taught the gorillas how to gently touch the stuffed animal, pick it up off the ground and bring it to a member of the team over at the mesh barrier.”
Bandia and the baby will be closely monitored in the coming days and weeks, the zoo said.
Eventually, they will have the option to come and go as they please throughout the Great Apes of Harambee habitat.
“The time we open the habitat for guests to see the gorillas, including the baby, all depends on Bandia’s behavior and needs, especially as a first-time mom,” said Melissa Thueme, a mammal supervisor for the DZS. “We want to keep things calm and quiet for Bandia, the baby and the rest of the troop to provide them time to settle in, and the area will reopen once the animal care team determines mom and baby have had enough time to bond and become comfortable in their habitat.”
