All together now: “Awwwww!”

A baby western lowland gorilla was born recently at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (DWCT) to mother, Hlala Kahilli and first-time father, Badongo.

Western lowland gorillas are one of four subspecies in the two species (western and eastern) in the gorilla family. They are “critically endangered” as determined by the International Union for Convservation of Nature’s Red List.

Making their home among the deltas of western Africa and the rainforests of central Africa, the subspecies has become detrimentally impacted by deforestation, bushmeat hunting, and the Ebola virus.

Hopes for survival of the species were raised in 2007 when the Wildlife Conservation Society announced discovering around 125,000 gorillas living in the Lake Télé Community Reserve, a new conservation area in the remote Republic of Congo.

Adapted from www.mongabay.com

 

Mongabay.com provides news, information, and analysis on environmental issues, with a special focus on tropical rainforests. The web site features more than 70,000 photos and has a section about forests for children available in nearly 40 languages.

 

 

 

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Editor: ShaMecha Simms

 

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photos provided by: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust