Calgary Zoo expecting a “hairy” bundle of joy
Posted Jan 5, 2016 9:33 am.
Last Updated Jan 5, 2016 9:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s a first for the Calgary Zoo in almost ten years, the facility has announced one of their gorillas is pregnant and expecting her first child in March of 2016.
The 14 year old female is called Kioja, sired by the troop’s silverback, a 37 year old named Kakinga whose fathered nine other offspring since 1993.
Seven of them are surviving and all of them were born at the Calgary Zoo.
“We are excited for this new addition to our gorilla troop as a baby is the best enrichment for the group,” says Dr. Malu Celli, Curator, Calgary Zoo in a prepared statement. “In the wild, gorillas are critically endangered and by adding another member to our troop we are continuing to ensure there is genetic diversity within captive populations and safeguard the long-term future of this species.”
Kioja arrived at the Zoo in 2009 with her half-sister Dossi from the Bronx Zoo, she was born in 2001.
The gorilla team has been helping her to prepare for the birth, it includes specialized training, regular ultrasounds, behavioural analysis and close monitoring by the zoo’s veterinary staff.
Normal gestation is period is 8-9 months, roughly the same time as a human.
It’s believed there are fewer than 100,000 Western lowland gorillas left in the wild.
