Jersey Zoo's New Arrival Is A Girl

Thursday, 23 April 2020 17:05

Durrell has revealed that the baby gorilla born at Jersey Zoo last November is a girl!

26-year-old Bahasha gave birth to the baby ape on 26 November 2019 and keepers are now confident to confirm that the new arrival is female.

"This has been a hugely exciting time for the ape team at Jersey Zoo, from when we first found out Bahasha was pregnant in May, up until announcing the sex of the baby. We would have been thrilled either way of course as all gorilla babies are important additions to the international breeding programme of this critically endangered species. With our previous infant being male, the very energetic and boisterous Indigo, I'm sure it will be an interesting change in troop dynamic for our gorillas and for us keepers too.

"In her first five months, the baby has been developing exactly how we would have hoped. She is very alert, constantly testing her environment within reach, and has also begun to crawl and climb by herself under the watchful eye of mum." - Mark Beresford, Senior Mammal Keeper.

We're now being asked to get involved in naming the baby!

Staff have put together a list of their favourite Swahili names to choose from.

The choices are:

* Kapuki - meaning first-born daughter

* Amari - meaning strength

* Iniko - meaning born during troubled times

* Muhuri - meaning stamp because mum Bahasha's name means envelope!

The name will be chosen on Tuesday 5 May and you can vote here.