Gorilla To Have Baby At LA Zoo For First Time In Decades

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles is in for a rare gift this holiday season, the first birth of a western lowland gorilla at the Los Angeles Zoo in more than 20 years.

Zoo officials are preparing for the birth any day now with first time mother 25-year-old N'djia and the male silverback gorilla, Kelly as they father. N'djia was loaned to the Los Angeles Zoo in 2018 as part of a breeding of a breeding program aimed at protecting the genetic diversity of the endangered species. N'djia is about eight-and-a-half-months pregnant.

"We're really excited to share the news of this pregnancy with the public," said Beth Schaefer, the zoo's director of animal programs. "The western lowland gorilla is critically endangered in the wild, so having an insurance population in zoos is extremely important."

After animal care staffers have known for some time that N'djia was expecting. They observed her breeding with Kelly not long after she arrived at the zoo from the the San Diego Zoo. They confirmed her pregnancy this past summer through a series of tests. N'djia is nearing the end of her gestation period, and the zoo is "cautiously optimistic" that a baby will be born sometime between now and January.

The zoo's animal care and health staff began monitoring the health of both the mom and baby after the pregnancy was confirmed, and staff immediately began training N'djia to participate in routine check-ups.

The decision to breed the two gorillas came through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan Program.

"I'm optimistic N'djia will be a great mom," said Candace Sclimenti, the zoo's curator of mammals. "Although she's a first-time mother, she's lived in a group with babies before. While female gorillas carry the majority of responsibility for rearing their young, Kelly has fathered offspring and has proven to be a very patient, playful dad. As a team, we're experiencing many firsts with this pregnancy."

Zoo officials said it is up to N'djia where and when she gives birth, but staff is trained and ready for the outcome. As with any birth, there are risks such as miscarriage, stillbirth or various complications, but staff members said they are hopeful that N'djia's first pregnancy will be a success.

Western lowland gorillas are native to the lowlands and swamp forests of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. They are peaceful and social animals that live in stable, cohesive groups composed of one silverback adult male, several adult females and their offspring.

N'djia and Kelly, along with their companions Rapunzel and Evelyn, can be visited at the Campo Gorilla Reserve exhibit daily, weather permitting.

For the latest updates on N'djia's pregnancy and birth story, people can follow along at @lazoo or #lazoo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.