Critically endangered gorilla to give birth at Utah’s Hogle Zoo
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah Hogle Zoo‘s western lowland gorilla Pele is expecting an infant this summer — which comes as big news, as gorilla populations are rapidly declining across the world. Specifically, western lowland gorillas are critically endangered.
The zoo said Pele is about six months along, and both the baby and mother are doing well.
Experience Utah wildlife ‘like never before’ at new, multi-million dollar Hogle Zoo exhibit
In 2022, Pele, 22, and her mother, Mary, 37, came to Utah from Busch Gardens in Florida on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Gorilla Species Survival Plan.
The plan paired Pele with current Hogle Zoo resident Husani, a 32-year-old silverback, as part of a zoo program to “provide a healthy, genetically diverse, and self-sustaining population,” the zoo said.
Hogle Zoo’s animal care and health teams will closely monitor Pele as she progresses through her eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.
Clair Hallyburton, Associate Director of animal care, said the zoo has a voluntary animal training that resident animals can participate in.
In addition to building relationships with the zoo’s care team, Hallyburton said this training enables Pele to participate actively in her healthcare, training her for necessary health checks and veterinary procedures.
“These training opportunities strengthen Pele’s maternal behaviors and build trust with the animal care team, helping us to prepare for all outcomes,” Hallyburton said. “The first major milestone our veterinary and animal care teams look for is seeing the baby through an ultrasound, which we can now monitor regularly.”
About western lowland gorillas
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, the zoo said, threatened by illegal poaching, habitat loss, and mining.
They are found in Angola, Gabon, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea, and are the smallest of the four subspecies.
Because of poaching and disease, the zoo said the gorilla’s numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years.
“Even if all threats to western lowland gorillas were removed, scientists calculate that the population would require 75 years to recover,” the zoo said.
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