Mum’s the word in Gorilla Kingdom

Nov. 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Keepers at ZSL London Zoo say Mjukuu is proving to be a fantastic mum to her five-week-old baby.

The 11-year-old western lowland gorilla gave birth to a healthy boy at the end of October, and keepers watched anxiously to see whether or not she would take to motherhood.
They needn’t have worried; Mjukuu adores her tiny baby boy, cleaning him, inspecting him and cuddling him all day long.

More than 40,000 people have already been to the zoo to catch a glimpse of the tiny tot since he was born, and viewers of  (Tuesday) episode of ITV1’s The Zoo at 8pm (Nov 23rd) saw the progress of Mjukuu’s pregnancy along with an exclusive look at her doting on her new baby.

A zoo spokesman said: “She is a protective mum, and keeps him cradled to her all the time – but she is often happy to give visitors a peek at her precious son.”
Keeper Teague Stubbington added: “He is a very quiet and contented baby, which means Mjukuu is caring for him perfectly.”

Staff have been keeping Mjukuu in tip-top shape while she breastfeeds with a surprising supplement to her usual food – the human vitamin Pregnacare Plus, which contain Omega 3 important for the baby gorilla’s brain development.

Now after all the excitement, keepers have just got to decide on a name…

Picture caption: Mjukuu the gorilla places an enormous protective hand over her tiny five-week-old son. (ZSL/Iona Stewart) Download here : https://zslondon.sharefile.com/d/sbd93802cd69485b9

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Eds notes:

Download image of Mjukuu’s hand over her baby’s head (plus a couple of other picture options) here: https://zslondon.sharefile.com/d/sbd93802cd69485b9

ITV1's The Zoo at 8pm, Tuesday Nov 23rd includes exclusive footage of the new baby gorilla. The series has already shown viewers the sad death of the baby’s dad, Yeboah, as well as the birth of an elephant and some Komodo dating.

Mjukuu and her baby live in Gorilla Kingdom with females Effie and Zaire, and male Kesho. Kesho is not the baby’s natural father, and Mjukuu is still keeping her distance from him at the moment.

A baby gorilla develops at roughly the same rate as a human baby for the first three or four months of its life.

Visitors to Gorilla Kingdom may be asked to wait and go through the exhibit in small groups.

Zoological Society of London (ZSL) founded in 1826 is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats.  ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in other countries worldwide. For further information please visit http://www.zsl.org

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Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. For further information please visit http://www.zsl.org