Adorable Baby Gorilla Born At National Zoo (Video)

WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Zoo in D.C. just welcomed its newest resident: Moke, a baby gorilla who was born Sunday evening at the zoo. And you can watch video of the mother Calaya bonding with her baby, which is embedded at the bottom of this article.

The male western lowland gorilla was born at 6:25 p.m. His mother is 15-year-old Calaya, and his father is 26-year-old Baraka. Moke (pronounced mo-key) means "junior" or "little one" in the Lingala language.

"Animal care staff have observed Calaya nursing the infant who has been clinging closely to his mother, and they are cautiously optimistic that the newborn will thrive," the zoo said in a statement. "Animal care staff are leaving Calaya to bond with and care for her baby without interference. The Great Ape House is closed to provide Calaya a quiet space to bond with her infant."

Animal keepers confirmed that Calaya was pregnant in the fall of 2017 using a human pregnancy test. They had also trained her to voluntarily participate in ultrasounds, allowing them to monitor the growth of the fetus throughout the course of the pregnancy, which was announced Nov. 3.

“The birth of this western lowland gorilla is very special and significant, not only to our Zoo family but also to this critically endangered species as a whole,” Meredith Bastian, curator of primates, said in the statement. “The primate team’s goal was to set Calaya up for success as best we could, given that she is a first-time mother. Doing so required great patience and dedication on the part of my team, and I am very proud of them and Calaya.”

Zoo staff is working hard to acclimate Calaya to motherhood, hoping to boost the likelihood she will care for the infant.

"Animal keeper Melba Brown noticed that Calaya learned best by watching the other gorillas train and repeating those actions," the statement reads. "This breakthrough helped Brown bond with Calaya and gain her trust. The gorilla quickly mastered basic husbandry behaviors, which formed the basis for more complicated maternal training, including ultrasounds, urinating on cue for hormone analysis and breast manipulation for lactation assessments and nutrient analysis."

Brown used photos of mother gorillas and a plush gorilla toy to help train Calaya.

“This infant’s arrival triggers many emotions—joy, excitement, relief—and pride that all of our perseverance in preparing Calaya for motherhood has paid off,” said Brown. “We will provide support to her if need be, but I have every confidence that Calaya will be a great mom to Moke. I am excited to see how he will fit into the group dynamic. There are a lot of different personalities in this family troop, but they all work well together.”

The gorilla social structure typically includes a silverback male, one or more blackback males, and several adult females and their offspring. Keepers have prepared Mandara, a mother of six, to act as a foster mother in case Calaya was unable to care for the infant, although zoo staff is hopeful that won't be necessary.

Western lowland gorillas are native to the forests of Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Cameroon, Angola, Equitorial Guinea, and Congo. They are listed as critically endangered, with their numbers dropping by 60 percent in the last quarter century, scientists believe.

The Great Ape House is closed for now, but Calaya and her infant will be on display when it reopens (although she has the choice to go to private rooms).

Image via National Zoo