Busch Gardens Tampa Welcomes Another Baby Gorilla

Busch Gardens Tampa recently welcomed another endangered western lowland gorilla. The female gorilla was born on February 6, 2015 at 8:30 p.m. and is being cared for by 27-year-old mother Mary. Guests will be able to see the baby gorilla on the Myombe Reserve habitat in the coming days, along with the rest of the gorilla troop. In the meantime, you can get a first look at this beautiful baby gorilla thanks to some photos that were just shared with us:

“The first month will be the critical period as the mother, Mary, and the infant begin to integrate into the current gorilla troop, so the Busch Gardens animal care team will be monitoring their progress closely,” said Jeff Andrews, vice president of zoological operations for Busch Gardens. 

This is Busch Gardens’ third successful gorilla birth. Bolingo, the suspected sire, was the park’s first gorilla birth in 2005. The mother, Mary, came to Busch Gardens in February 2010 from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas with daughter Pele, who just gave birth this past December to baby Enzi.

This birth is part of Busch Gardens’ participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP). The mission of the SSP is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species populations within AZA-accredited facilities. Busch Gardens’ participation helps create genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations to guarantee the long-term future of these animals.

PHOTOS: © 2015 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.