April Bove-Rothwell and Nerissa Foland

On December 26, as we quietly started our morning routine at the Zoo, we found a wonderful surprise: a highly endangered western lowland gorilla had been born! We had just entered the building at 6:15 a.m. when we discovered 34-year-old gorilla Jessica cradling a newborn who looked to be less than an hour old. She was gingerly cleaning her baby boy and clutching him close to her chest. This is the sixth baby for Jessica and, as expected, she is proving to be a great mother once again! The two other members of her troop, Paul Donn and Ndjia, have been close by ever since the baby’s arrival. This is the fourth offspring for father Paul Donn, a 25-year-old silverback. He’s been a gentle, playful father who is very protective of each of his kids. The other female, 20-year-old Ndjia, is extremely interested in the infant, sitting close to Jessica. In the past, Ndjia has been a great playmate and caregiver to young gorillas and seems to want to continue her warm and inviting ways with the new baby right away. But at this point, the baby is too new and fragile for a mom as protective as Jessica. We are looking forward to watching both Paul and Ndjia interact with this new little boy more and more as he grows and explores his surroundings. Jessica and her newborn, along with troop-mates Ndjia and Paul, are on exhibit in the afternoons for our guests to view, as weather permits. Since the troop enjoys being next to the glass at the main viewing area (could it be the comforting heaters that line the glass windows?), you can get a wonderful up-close view of our newest bundle of joy! April Bove-Rothwell and Nerissa Foland are Senior Keepers at the San Diego Zoo.

April Bove-Rothwell and Nerissa Foland

Oh, Joy—It’s a Boy!

Recommended

The Hatch of 2020