Watch: Rare Lowland Gorilla Born at Busch Gardens

Visitors to Tampa’s Busch Gardens are in for an usual treat this holiday season.

Word from the park is that Pele, an endangered western lowland gorilla, gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on Tuesday. Pele, a first-time mom, and her companions are on display at the theme park’s Myombe Reserve habitat.

While considered the “most numerous and widespread of all gorilla subspecies,” western lowland gorillas are described as critically endangered by the World Wildlife Federation. Fully grown, the creates can stand as tall as 5.5 feet and can weigh up to 440 pounds. An exact count of this type of gorilla in the wild hasn’t been possible, the federation explains, because they are known to inhabit “some of the most dense and remote rainforests in Africa.”

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Busch Gardens’ Myombe Reserve is a special habitat set aside for the park’s gorillas and chimpanzees.

There’s no word yet on what the newest arrival will be named. The park’s Facebook page, however, does say he and his mom are doing well and can be seen during normal operating hours in the reserve.

The baby gorilla isn’t the only new bundle of joy at the park. A Grant’s gazelle’s birth was also announced on Dec. 10.

For more details on how to see the newest arrivals, visit Busch Gardens online.

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