ISRAEL: Israeli safari park ushers in "Year of the Gorilla" with rare baby gorilla birth

Record ID: 396035

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israeli safari park ushers in "Year of the Gorilla" with rare baby gorilla birth
  • Date: 19th December 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMELIA TURKEL, CURATOR AT THE SAFARI PARK, SAYING: "We are very happy with the eighth gorilla in our gorilla group. This is gorilla Leah's third child and we think - the first two were boys, and we think that this last one is a female, but it's still too small for us to tell."
  • Embargoed: 3rd January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA2EFW849GYVIW1273SJ8H3URLL
  • Story Text: Rare baby gorilla born into captivity at an Israeli safari park ushers in 2009's "Year of the Gorilla".
    An Israeli safari park welcomed its newest inhabitant this week - a new baby gorilla that's arrived just in time.
    UNESCO and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums have named 2009 as "The Year of the Gorilla".
    Thursday (December 18), the baby's mother - named Leah - was seen caring for her new arrival in the gorilla enclosure. Amalia Turkel, the curator for the Safari Park at Ramat Gan said it's still unclear if the baby is a boy or a girl.

    "We are very happy with the eighth gorilla in our gorilla group.
    This is gorilla Leah's third child and we think - the first two were boys, and we think that this last one is a female, but it's still too small for us to tell," Turkel said.
    She added that interest in the new baby will allow the safari to teach visitors about threats to the gorillas' natural habitat.

    "Through the story of this gorilla, and through the story of gorillas in general, we can try and tell people what is happening to the rain forests of the world. This is a keystone animal that really means something - that people really relate to and respond to," Turkel said.
    There are 750 to 800 gorillas living in captivity around the world, according to Turkel. She said that every year there are only about 16-20 births in captivity, which makes Leah's baby's birth, a very rare occurrence.
    According to Turkel, there are only about 100,000 gorillas living the wild. She says that current environmental threats indicate that the population is likely to be significantly reduced in the coming 10 years.
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