Baby gorilla goes on first spring outing at ZSL London Zoo

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Proud mum Mjukuu the gorilla took advantage of yesterday’s spring sunshine to take her five-month-old son Tiny to explore their outdoor island for the first time.

The youngster clung to his 12-year-old mum as she made her way around their lush home, which includes climbing branches and a cave.

Together with ‘Aunty’ gorillas Zaire, 36, and Effie, 17, the baby western lowland gorilla and his mum climbed trees and ate coconuts in yesterday’s spring sun.

Up until now Mjukuu has preferred to keep her precious son inside in the warm away from the winter weather.

Gorilla keeper, Daniel Simmonds says: “Yesterday was a really important day for Tiny because it’s the first time he’s had to explore his huge island home.

“Mjukuu loves showing off her baby and often holds him up for visitors to see.”

Pictures and b-roll footage of Tiny’s spring outing are available via the following link https://zslondon.sharefile.com/d/sf9f3b16771b427ab

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Editor’s notes:

Nicknamed Tiny, until keepers decide on a permanent name for the youngster, ZSL London Zoo’s gorilla baby was born on the 26th October 2010. First-time mother Mjukuu gave birth to the healthy male following a straightforward labour, which was closely monitored by the Zoo’s vets and keepers. Tiny will grow to become a twenty-five stone silverback Western lowland gorilla.

Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are found in the tropical rainforests of Angola (Cabinda); Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon. Like all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is threatened by illegal hunting, disease, and habitat loss and degradation. They are herbivores and feed on leaves, nuts and branches.

Gorilla Kingdom was opened in Easter 2007 and was partly funded with a legacy left to ZSL London Zoo by a long-serving volunteer as well as donations on the gate. Through the development of this exhibit ZSL has pledged to contribute £500,000 to the conservation of gorillas in the wild through our conservation programmes.

The group in the Gorilla Kingdom exhibit consists of:

• Tiny, aged five months, male
• Mjukuu, aged 12, female
• Zaire, aged 36, female
• Effie, aged 17, female
• Kesho, aged 11, mal

Zoological Society of London (ZSL) founded in 1826 is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in more than 50 countries worldwide. For further information please visit www.zsl.org

High res images and b-roll are available: https://zslondon.sharefile.com/d/sf9f3b16771b427ab