Choose a Name for the Baby Gorilla!

The Buffalo Zoo is inviting the community to help choose a name for the new baby gorilla.

The baby was born on Sunday, January 10 at 11:04 p.m. to mother, 18-year-old Sydney, and father, 28-year-old Koga. Sydney has displayed strong maternal instincts and is taking great care of the troop’s latest addition.

Last week, the Zoo’s gorilla keepers were able to determine that the baby is a boy. They have narrowed a long list of possible names down to their top three choices, and are now asking the Western New York community to assist with the final decision!

The Zoo will announce the winning name during their “APEril” Zooper Saturday event on April 2, 2016.

You can visit the newest baby along with the rest of the gorilla troop every day in the Zoo’s gorilla house.

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Buffalo Zoo Welcomes First Baby of 2016: A Gorilla

The Buffalo Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a baby western lowland gorilla.

The baby was born on Sunday, January 10 at 11:04 p.m. to mother, 18-year-old Sydney, and father, 28-year-old Koga. Sydney has displayed strong maternal instincts and is taking great care of the troop’s latest addition. Keepers have not been able to get close enough to the baby to determine its gender. Both mother and baby are doing well.

The baby will join the gorilla troop, including the parents, big sister Amari, half sister Nyah, and Nyah’s mother, Lily. During this sensitive time, the gorillas will be given access to their interior holding areas, should they desire more privacy. Visitors are advised that the gorillas may not always be visible, but are encouraged to check back often!

During Sydney’s pregnancy, the keeper staff at the Buffalo Zoo was able to monitor the baby’s growth using ultrasound technology. She had been trained to present her abdomen to keepers and remain calm during the ultrasound process, so she did not need to be anesthetized in order to obtain images of the fetus

The gestation period of gorillas is eight and a half months. Gorillas begin walking when they are between three and six months of age, and are weaned around three years of age.

Western lowland gorillas are found in the lowland tropical forests of central Africa. The species is critically endangered due to loss of habitat as well as the bush meat trade.

Meet our latest addition!!

The Buffalo Zoo is celebrating the birth of a baby western lowland gorilla.

The baby was born on Wednesday, September 4 at 12:44 p.m. to first-time mother, 12-year-old Lily, and father, 26-year-old Koga. Lily has displayed strong maternal instincts and is taking great care of the troop’s latest addition. Keepers have not been able to get close enough to the baby to determine its gender, though they believe it is a girl. Both mother and baby are doing well.

Photos by Kelly Brown - Registrar, Buffalo Zoo

During Lily’s pregnancy, the keeper staff at the Buffalo Zoo was able to monitor the baby’s growth using ultrasound technology. Lily had been trained to present her abdomen to keepers and remain calm during the ultrasound process, so she did not need to be anesthetized in order to obtain images of the fetus. The team worked with Bridget Gilewski, RT, RDMS of Baby’s Bungalow in North Tonawanda, who volunteered to assist with the ultrasound readings. The Buffalo Zoo is one of the only zoos to have successfully measured the development of a western lowland gorilla in utero. Their research is important to the study and husbandry of gorillas.

The baby will join the gorilla troop, including her parents as well as females Sydney and Amari, in their exhibit daily. During this sensitive time, the gorillas will be given access to their interior holding areas, should they desire more privacy. Visitors are advised that the gorillas may not always be visible, but are encouraged to check back often!

The gestation period of gorillas is eight and a half months. Gorillas begin walking when they are between three and six months of age, and are weaned around three years of age.

Western lowland gorillas are found in the lowland tropical forests of central Africa. The species is critically endangered due to loss of habitat as well as the bush meat trade. 

Photos by Kelly Brown - Registrar, Buffalo Zoo