JAPAN: Tokyo's Ueno Zoo welcomes first baby gorilla born in Japan in seven years

Record ID: 465228

  • Title: JAPAN: Tokyo's Ueno Zoo welcomes first baby gorilla born in Japan in seven years
  • Date: 20th November 2009
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 19, 2009) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) GORILLA KEEPER AT THE UENO ZOO, RYO IMANISHI, SAYING: "Now the mother spends every second with the baby. She would hold the baby in one hand and walk around making sure that the baby stays in her arm." MOTHER GORILLA MOMOKO'S PICTURE ON DISPLAY MOMOKO'S PICTURE ZOO VISITOR LOOKING AT GORILLA GORILLA SITTING
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Nature / Environment,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA3P7D7I7265JUMBU0HZQSUCYR6
  • Story Text: Meet Japan's latest animal star.
    A female baby gorilla was born at a zoo in Tokyo on Saturday (November 14) and soon snuggled up to its 26-year-old mother "Momoko," who gave birth to her first baby around the same time nine years ago.
    Momoko's offspring is the first baby gorilla born in Japan in almost seven years.
    The 16-year-old father "Haoko" waited anxiously outside the cage.
    The baby, born to the Western Lowland Gorilla clan at the Ueno Zoo, now weighs about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) thanks to her mother's breast milk.
    Animal lovers are already flocking to the zoo to get their first glimpse of the baby gorilla, but the zoo says the baby will be kept indoor with her mother until the weather gets warmer in the spring.
    According to the zoo, gorillas are very difficult to breed out of their natural habitats since they only mate on compatibility, and numbers are limited in most zoos.
    There are only 24 gorillas in the country's 10 zoos in which gorillas are bred and raised.
    For the zoo keepers at Ueno Zoo, this new-born baby deserves the full star treatment.
    Gorilla keeper Ryo Imanishi says the staff worked around the clock making sure that the mother delivers the baby in a comfortable and safe environment.
    "The baby came out in just under two hours, whereas the mother spent three full days giving birth the last time. We were fully prepared to spend long hours, but it all happened within a blink of an eye so we were very surprised," said Imanishi.
    "Now the mother spends every second with the baby. She would hold the baby in one hand and walk around making sure that the baby stays in her arm," he added.
    Western Lowland Gorillas mostly live in forests and swamps across Africa, with the current population estimated to be around 150,000 to 200,000.
    The number is decreasing every year due to continuous poaching and deforestation.
    The newborn star in Tokyo has yet to receive a name, but zoo officials are currently receiving name ideas from the public with hopes of unveiling the baby by March 2010.
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