On Wednesday 8th January 2020, Gorilla keepers at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve welcomed a new arrival as Viringika, a western lowland gorilla, gave birth to her first Infant here. The father of the new arrival is handsome silverback, Kouillou, with this being the 18th gorilla infant he has sired.
This takes the total number of births, across the Aspinall Foundation Kent wild animal parks - Port Lympne and Howletts, to a record 147, firmly cementing the breeding sanctuaries' reputation as the most successful breeders of this critically endangered species in the world.
Phil Ridges, Head of Gorilla Section at Port Lympne said: "We are absolutely delighted! Virginia is proving to be a great mum, she is being very protective and as yet we have not seen if this new little one is a boy or a girl.
Simon Jeffery, Animal Dire ctor added: 'We are known best for the western lowland gorillas, we are very proud of our breeding programme. As well as caring for gorillas at our parks we also work closely with The Aspinall Foundation to protect them in the wild, and where possible, reintroduce gorillas born at the parks back into their natural environment.
Baby gorillas are born helpless and will initially be carried, close to their mother's body, for several months, until they are old enough to be carried on their mother's back. Infants are usually weaned by the time they are 3 years old, but this can depend on the individual infant and mother.
Western lowland gorillas inhabit some of the most dense and remote rainforests In Africa so it is hard to accurately record exact numbers. However, because of diseases, hunters and habitat destruction, gorilla numbers have been decimated by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years.
Visitors can already see the new arrival at The Palace of the Apes, Viringika has been bringing the youngster outside during the 12pm and 3pm scatter feeds.
