Zoo welcomes latest arrival

A baby western lowland gorilla is the latest arrival at Dublin Zoo, keepers revealed today.

Proud mum, Lena, gave birth to the healthy offspring on Sunday but so far keepers are unable to tell if it is a boy or a girl because Lena is keeping the baby close to her chest.

Lena, who was born in 1984, is an experienced mother and this is her fifth baby.

"The youngster is doing very well," said zookeeper Ciaran McMahon.

“Lena is a great mother and so far she hasn’t let go of her newborn."

Dad Harry was born in 1986 and is an experienced, relaxed male and an excellent father.

The baby gorilla, yet to be named, will join two brothers Alfie (born 2003) and Evindi (born 2006) and Mayani, a female gorilla who moved to Dublin Zoo from Stuttgart Zoo in 2005.

“We are over the moon with the birth," said Mr McMahon.

"The new arrival is a great success for Dublin Zoo as part of the European breeding programme for these critically endangered primates.

"We are one of a few zoos to have a gorilla family living together and we can see that the bonds between the group are very strong.”

Western lowland gorillas are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The numbers of these primates living in the wild is expected to fall by over 80% between 1980 and 2046 with commercial hunting and a highly contagious virus called Ebola being the two main threats facing their survival.