A male gorilla was born in Seattle about a week ago, but was abandoned by the mother who carried him in her womb for nine months.
The newborn, still unnamed, arrived into the world on the morning of June 28 at the Woodland Park Zoo, in what would normally be a cause for celebration among staff and zookeepers alike.
Unfortunately, there was a tragedy of abandonment, as the boy’s mother, Akenji, did not care for him as a mother normally does.
“Zoo animal and gorilla health staff closely observed birth and postpartum behaviors in out-of-sight sleeping quarters,” the zoo wrote in a statement. blog entry‘Unfortunately, Akenji did not display appropriate mothering behaviors despite months of mothering skills training provided by the gorilla care team.’
An hour after the gorilla was born, the zoo’s animal care team stepped in to ensure the baby’s safety.
The new baby gorilla was born just a week ago at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle
“While we’ve been encouraging maternal behavior, Akenji has not yet shown promising signs of interest in bonding with her infant,” said Rachel Vass, acting animal care manager at Woodland Park Zoo.
‘Although she demonstrated capable maternal behavior throughout her training program, we are disappointed and a little surprised that those instincts have not been activated.’
Despite Akenji seemingly having no interest in his son, the baby gorilla weighed slightly more than average, at 4.4 pounds, and was deemed healthy by the zoo’s associate veterinarian.
And there’s no need to worry, the newborn is being bottle-fed with human infant formula by the staff, who are also doing their best to comfort him and keep him warm.
Between those feeding sessions, the baby is kept on a warm bed of hay and Akenji is encouraged to visit for short periods of time so they can bond.
“While we continue to hand-raise her baby for the short term, the positive news is that she remains healthy, has a great appetite and a strong grip, and is growing every day,” Vass said.
Pictured: Akenji at the zoo during her pregnancy. Zoo staff were disappointed by her failure to be maternal to her baby once it was born.
The new baby was fathered by this silverback gorilla named Kwame
This is the 16th gorilla to be born at the zoo since it opened in 1899.
She is also Kwame the gorilla’s third child; his other two are a boy and a girl born in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Staff working directly with the gorillas will continue to try to get Akenji and his son closer.
“We have a highly dedicated and professional team of gorilla experts at Woodland Park Zoo who have more than eight decades of collective experience… preparing expectant mothers for motherhood and either bonding mothers with their babies or introducing other gorillas to take the place of mothers,” said Martin Ramirez, Interim Senior Director of Animal Care.
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