Gorilla Born at the San Diego Zoo
Posted at 7:15 am September 30, 2008 by Kim Livingstone
On September 3 at approximately 11:30 p.m. Azizi, an 11½- year-old western lowland gorilla, started to show signs of entering the first stage of labor. Keepers noted that she was becoming increasingly restless and experiencing contractions. Her labor continued into the next morning and at 11:05 a.m., Azizi gave birth to a very healthy and robust baby boy. His birth weight was approximately 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms)! The entire troop remained together and inside the gorilla management facility at the Zoo. Azizi's troop consists of one 19-year-old silverback male, Paul Donn, and two other females: 13-year-old Imani and 14-year-old Ndjia.
The infant, who remains unnamed, is doing very well. Unfortunately, after delivering her baby Azizi did not show the strong mothering skills that we had all hoped for. She was very protective of the infant but did not carry him close enough to her chest to give him the opportunity to nurse. After two days, the infant had not been observed nursing nor had Azizi been in frequent close contact with him. This raised concern that his body temperature was dropping, since he was unable to thermo regulate. There were also concerns of dehydration. After much discussion with veterinarians and management staff, the decision was made to intervene. Since Azizi was leaving the infant for short periods of time, we decided to take the opportunity to separate and handle the infant to perform a medical evaluation. This procedure was executed successfully. There was great care being taken to ensure that Azizi remained in visual contact of the infant as much as possible. The infant was given back to his mother and keepers continued to observe carefully, looking for any signs of nursing bouts. As time went on with no nursing taking place, the staff decided to start bottle-feeding the baby with human infant formula. He accepted this change well and continues to be bottle-fed by keepers.
The current plan for this gorilla infant is to expose him to as much normal gorilla behavior as possible, limiting confusion about human relationships and behaviors. The keepers give Azizi and her troop as much opportunity as possible to interact with the infant. Ultimately, as the baby develops and becomes more independent, he will become fully integrated back into his troop.
See more photos on the What's New page!
Kim Livingstone is the Heart of the Zoo team area lead at the San Diego Zoo.
Gorilla infant update: October 22, 2008, by Kim Livingstone
The gorilla infant, named Frank, is now 48 days old. His two front lower incisors have already erupted! He spends his day inside the gorilla management facility in his own enclosure or with his mother, Azizi, and the rest of the troop. His weight has increased from 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) to his current weight of about 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms). Keepers continue to feed him five times per day with human infant formula. Recently we started to expose him to the gorilla habitat that he will soon share with his troop.
Frank can be viewed by Zoo guests on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at the main viewing area.
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September 30th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Congratulations! Is the baby gorilla in the nursery in the Children's Zoo and can he be seen by zoo visitors? While we all wish he could have remained full time with his mother, I am so happy he is doing well. I can hardly wait to see him.
Moderator's note: The baby gorilla is not in the Children's Zoo Nursery. He has remained inside the gorilla building staying in a separate enclosure directly in front of his troop. His mother and the rest of the troop have direct physical contact with him daily. It will be a few months before Zoo guests will be able to see him on exhibit.
October 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Congragulations!!!!! That is very good news!! Its too bad his mom couldn't care for him, but maybe she will become more motherly as he gets older. I wish you good luck with this new baby boy!
October 1st, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Please post a photo of the baby — I am certain he is adorable and we all would love to see him.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
What a shame his mother couldn't care for him, but we all know that he will do well under SDZ care. Look forward to a picture of him sometime.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Congragulations to all, Pics please. I think baby gorillas are so darn cute. I'm sad that mom wasn't to interested but at least she has contact with him so he has that maternal contact. I have a question that I have been curious about for a long time. How come from all I've read there are no mountain gorillas in captivia, It seems that they are all lowland gorillas?Thanks
Moderator's Note: We're working on getting some great baby pictures to post. Keep checking!
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
I am wondering how that new baby gorilla is doing. it is surprising how well they can do with people
intervening on their behalf. it has been done with lots of animals. it just makes me wonder why their mothers aren't providing what they need. in the past, people used to say " just leave them alone and let nature take it's course. there is usually something wrong with the baby and the mother rejects it" now they figure that is not always the case. thank God! to me, the gorillas are very unique and are very mesmerizing. almost too human like. they are truly amazing and wonderful animals. it would be a great loss if these animals were to become extinct! I could sit and watch them all day. they have always been my favorites. is it possible to ever have a web cam to view these animals? the orangutangs and monkeys
have a web cam. it isn't too good though. everything is too far away an you can't see much. wish they
could have the camers closer somehow. anyway, good luck with this lucky baby. waiting for a picture!
Moderator's Note: We hope to be able to post some pictures of the baby within the next week.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:33 pm
OK, that has to be one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. Would like to see more pictures. I hope he does well. He is a darling!
October 4th, 2008 at 5:51 am
he is adoeble! how are ekuba,bouendjie,mandaazi,maka,imani,azizi,paul donn,ndjia,ndjole,memba,and alvila! say hi to keeper nate for me. i love gorillas and keep me updated. from max. i almost forgot how is the new baby boy let me know thank you.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
i love gorillas
October 6th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
i laove gorillas i cant pick just one bc i love them ALL
October 6th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
He is adorable! What a wonderful photo. Please give us regular updates on his progress. We so look forward to visiting him at the zoo.
October 8th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
saw the cutest photos on what's new site! that baby gorilla has got to be the cutest I have ever seen.
how is he doing? named yet? he is considered out of danger and flourishing now isn't he? his daddy is very big and handsome and must be very proud of his son! does his mother pay attention to him when they
get a chance to interact? as a rule, gorilla families are very close and protective of their young. would this change in any way when the mother doesn't feed or take care of him? I hope he is getting cuddled and loved as all baby gorillas need the close contact. I wish I was there to observe all their actions. when I visit the zoo, the rest of my family just want to leave me there for the day so they can see the rest of the zoo! they are so fasinating!………….love them! keep us informed and up-dated about JR.
October 8th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
how is that cute baby boy gorilla doing? does he have a name yet? until he has a name, I will call him junior!!! the pictures of him on WHAT'S NEW? are just precious!!!!! his big handsome father must be very proud! hopefully, junior is getting enough cuddling and loving when he has interactions with the rest of his troop. how does his mother act with him since the intervention? baby gorillas need the love of their mothers just as a human baby does. I can't believe how expressive their eyes are. you just wonder what they are thinking and feeling………….! I wish I was there to observe myself. I could just sit all day and watch them. my family just want to leave me there with the gorillas for the day so they can see the rest of the animals at the zoo! ha ha. keep us informed about the little guy and let us know when he gets a better name than junior!!!
October 21st, 2008 at 5:29 pm
we haven't had any up-dates on the baby gorilla! is he okay? does he have a name yet? we need a video cam like they have for the pandas, polar bear plunge, orangs, and elephants. can you look into this, or would this be too hard to do? I have always loved the gorillas! please, please, information…………..?
Moderator's note: Thanks for inquiring about the little guy. We've posted on update at the bottom of the blog above. As for a gorilla cam, no plans are currently in the works.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:48 am
it sounds as though baby boy is flourishing and gaining weight. great! I haven't been around to view the latest up-date. I sometimes forget to check as I did last time! sorry. you must get tired of my constant requests for more info, it's just that I can't get enough of these awsome creatures! lucky you are to be able to see and observe the troop every day. I'm jealous…………..!
November 4th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
do you guys give behind the scenes tours let me know if you can oh does the cutie have a name yet let me know
Moderator's note: The Zoo does indeed offer VIP tours that include select behind-the-scenes areas. Please call 800-407-9534 for more information. And the gorilla baby has been named Frank.
November 8th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Frank the baby boy gorilla!! Frankie sounds more appropiate right now while he is a baby. ha ha! I just love the names people give to animals. it's fun. I once had 3-goldfish named Peter, Paul, and Mary!
2 turtles named herman and josephine. a dog named rambo, and a dog named tiny( st. bernard ) a bird named rocky, 2 birds named bonnie and c lyde, a bird named tequilla and finally a hampster named
c larence. goofy huh? now I don't have to refer to frank as junior!!!!!…………….!