First ever baby gorilla born at Detroit Zoo

The Detroit Zoo has announced a baby gorilla has been born for the first time in the Zoo’s 96-year history!

26-year-old Bandia, a first-time mother, gave birth in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 8 – and the Zoo says that mom and baby, along with the father, 36-year-old Mshindi, are all doing very well.

“Bandia had a very smooth pregnancy, which is so important for a first-time mom,” said Tami Brightrall, associate curator of mammals for the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS).“Throughout her eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy, she continued to participate in routine ultrasounds using positive reinforcement training methods, which allowed our team to check on the baby along the way and ensure everything was going well.”

The new gorilla, who does not yet have a name, is now the fifth gorilla.

Bandia and her baby will be closely monitored in the coming days and weeks. Animal care staff will carefully be watching for maternal and nursing behaviors while tracking milestones such as eye movements, sound recognition and object grasping along the way.