It’s a boy! Baby gorilla sexed as male at Bristol Zoo Gardens - 30/11/11

The baby western lowland gorilla born at Bristol Zoo Gardens recently is a boy, keepers have revealed.

The two month old gorilla, named Kukeña, has just started learning how to stand up by himself – although unsuccessfully as yet! His mother, Salome, has starting putting him down more and more, and he has become much more active over the past week.

Senior Curator of Animals, John Partridge, said: “It’s great that we now know that Kukeña is a boy. We will inform the studbook co-ordinator for this species so that detailed, up-to-date records are kept.

“Kukeña is genetically very important to the captive breeding programme for gorillas as his mother and grandmother have not produced many offspring so their genes are not very well represented in the studbook for captive gorillas. In addition, Kukeña’s grandparents, Sampson and Lomie who also lived at Bristol Zoo, were wild caught which means that any of their descendants are important.”

Kukeña could eventually move to another Zoo as a mate for a female gorilla, to continue the breeding programme, but this won’t be until he is much older.  

You can view a video of Kukena and mum on Youtube here.

Assistant Curator of Mammals, Lynsey Bugg, added: “Kukeña continues to do very well – he is bright-eyed and alert and it’s lovely to see him starting to learn how to stand by himself. He is not quite there yet, but I don’t think it will be too long before we will see him starting to take his first steps, and playing more with his brother and sister, although Salome will be keeping him close while he is still very small.”

Kukeña was born on September 27, by natural birth to Salome, and is the perfect gift for Bristol Zoo, which has been celebrating its 175^th birthday this year, as well as participating in the European Zoo Association’s Ape Campaign, to raise funds and awareness of the threats facing gorillas in the wild.

The name Kukeña, means ‘to love’ and comes from the language of the Lunda Tribe from North West Zambia. The tribe originates from the Congo, where western lowland gorillas are found in the wild.

This is the third baby Salome has had at Bristol Zoo. Her last baby, Komale, was born in December 2006 following a course of ground-breaking fertility treatment, pioneered by Bristol Zoo’s former head vet, Sharon Redrobe. This time however, Salome conceived her baby naturally.

As well as Salome andKukeña, Bristol Zoo Gardens is also home to silverback Jock, who is father to Namoki, six;andKomale, four;as well asKera; seven and Romina, the Zoo’s other adult female gorilla.

The gorillas at Bristol Zoo are part of an international conservation breeding programme for the western lowland gorilla, which is a critically endangered species.

All gorilla species are facing serious losses in the wild caused by a number of issues including forest destruction for logging, diseases such as the ebola virus and the slaughter of primates for the illegal bushmeat trade.

Bristol Zoo Gardens has, for many years, supported Ape Action Africa, a charity working hard to prevent primate extinction in Cameroon, through caring for confiscated orphans of the bushmeat trade, and educating people about the bushmeat trade and habitat destruction.

Kukeñais now available to adopt by members of the public as an ideal Christmas present.  For more information visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/animal-adoptions or phone 0117 974 7300. Gorilla soft toys are also availbale to buy from the Zoo gift shop, or online via the Zoo web shop, simply visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/web-shop.

ENDS

For press enquiries please contact Bristol Zoo:

Lucy King, T: 0117 974 7306 or E: lking@bristolzoo.org.uk

Vanessa Hollier, T: 0117 974 7309 or E: vhollier@bristolzoo.org.uk

Notes to the Editor:

Bristol Zoo Gardens

• Bristol Zoo is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day. 
• Bristol Zoo Gardens is a conservation and education charity and relies on income from visitors and supporters to continue its important work. 
• In 2011 Bristol Zoo celebrates its 175^th anniversary and wants to do more than celebrate.
• Over that past 175 years, the Zoo has brought six generations of Bristolians closer to wildlife, helped save over 175 species from extinction, established over 30 field conservation and research programmes all over the world, showed 40 millionschool-aged children the wonder of nature and given more than 90 million visitors a wonderful day out.
• Throughout 2011 we’re bring people, businesses, charities and wildlife together to share amazing experiences that raise awareness and funds to save threatened wildlife and places. To find out more, visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/whats-on
• Bristol Zoo has supported and been actively in gorilla conservation in Cameroon since 1998.
• Throughout 2011 we will be focusing our efforts on raising funds and awareness in support of gorilla conservation.
• Throughout 2011 Bristol Zoo will support theEuropean Association of Zoos and Aquaria Ape Campaign.The campaign aims to make a significant and lasting contribution to the continued survival of apes and their habitats, and is being led by Dr Bryan Carroll, the Director of Bristol Zoo.
• To find out more about the EAZA Ape Campaign visit the Zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/conservation-campaigns.
• Bristol Zoo is involved with more than 100 co-ordinated breeding programmes for threatened wildlife species. 
• Itemploys over 150 full and part-time staff to care for the animals and run a successful visitor attraction to support its conservation and education work. 
• Bristol Zoo supports – through finance and skill sharing - 15 projects in the UK and abroad that conserveand protectsome of the world’s most endangered species.
• In 2010 Bristol Zoo Gardens set up a Conservation Fund to raise vital funds to help care for threatened animals and plants – both in the Zoo and through the conservation work we do in the UK and around the world.
• Bristol Zoo Gardens is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. BIAZA represents more than 90 member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums.