Baby gorilla on the way
Western lowland gorilla Mary expecting an infant
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is proud to share that western lowland gorilla Mary (38) is expecting a baby, with a birth window from late January to mid-March, following an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.
In 2022, Mary and her daughter, Pele, arrived at Hogle Zoo through a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). The infant’s father and troop silverback, Husani (34), has been a Hogle Zoo resident since 2010. This will be Husani’s third offspring, following Georgia’s birth in 2020 to Jabali and Addo’s birth in 2024 to Pele.
Animal care in action
As with any pregnancy or birth, there is always the possibility of complications. Mary has experienced successful pregnancies and pregnancy loss in the past, which helps inform the care she receives through her current pregnancy. Her prenatal care includes participating in training and ultrasounds that allow her care team to observe the infant’s bone development and limb movement.
Because of Mary’s history, the zoo’s teams have prepared for a range of outcomes and have incorporated training sessions with experienced mothers in the gorilla troop, Jabali and Pele, to reinforce maternal behaviors. While we’re hopeful Mary will bond with and raise her infant, thoughtful preparations are in place to provide the best possible care for both mom and baby.
Animal care and health teams are closely monitoring Mary, providing thoughtful, proactive care, and preparing through ongoing observation and training to support both Mary and her baby every step of the way. To prepare for the newest arrival, the team has added extra hay bedding to the gorilla habitat and is watching for signs of labor. Stay tuned for more baby buzz!
This pregnancy marks an important step in the conservation of western lowland gorillas. Threatened by illegal poaching, habitat loss, and mining, western lowland gorillas are critically endangered. Found in Angola, Gabon, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea, western lowland gorillas are the smallest of the four subspecies.
Conservation threats to gorillas
Poaching and disease have caused the gorilla population to decline by more than 60% over the past 20 to 25 years. Even if all threats were eliminated today, scientists estimate the population would need 75 years to recover.
Hogle Zoo collects old cell phones, iPods, iPads, tablets, and MP3 players and sends them to Eco-Cell, a company that repurposes and recycles electronics. All proceeds support conservation efforts, such as the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center in the Congo, which works to save the critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla.
Animal wellbeing
Protecting animals in the wild starts with the wellbeing of the animals under our care. Providing exceptional care throughout every stage of pregnancy and birth is one of the many ways we work to achieve our vision of prioritizing animal wellbeing in everything we do.
Utah's Hogle Zoo 