Shortly after his birth Kituba clings to his mum Lena
Isn’t this such a great picture?! It was emailed over to me by my Irish friend BQ. It’s how I look when my head hits the pillow after a busy news day.
This is two month old Kituba, who has only just been named officially by Dublin Zoo. For the first two weeks after his birth, Kituba clung so tightly to his mother Lena that keepers were unsure what sex he was.
I’m so pleased to hear that this baby gorilla is progressing well, especially after the recent disaster at London Zoo where the infant gorilla died.
Kituba is one of the main languages spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa where the gorillas are found and it makes a fitting name for this little fella.
His name was chosen after the zoo ran a competition to find one based on his West African roots. Eleven-year-old Caoileann Carton from Knocklyon in Dublin provided the winning suggestion.
Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
whogivesamonkeys 
Monika Nink
May 25, 2011
Such a precious soul and an absolutely angel!
Kituba is a living miracle.
Thank you for sharing the photo and the news.
urbanprimate
May 26, 2011
Pleasure Monika, I look forward to following Kituba’s progress.
A
BQ
May 25, 2011
Amazing animals. His birth was captured by CCTV. Fascinating footage and how protective Lena is. Dublin Zoo are currently building a huge new home for this family and it’s going to have similar planting to the mountainous forests they originate from. Lena is one super mum all the same.
urbanprimate
May 26, 2011
Hey BQ,
I do hope their new home will be spacious enough for the whole family, they don’t call them great apes for nothing.
x
janis j
May 26, 2011
Gorgeous picture. The disaster at London zoo was heartbreaking. I am on the line
on how I feel about zoos. To have these beautiful creatures in their own habitat
with the poaching going on is also heartbreaking. Laws to protect our wildlife must
be enforced.
joan wilson
May 26, 2011
thanks for shareing this wonderful picture, anouther gorrilla born may be not in the wild but im sure the late Dian Fossey would be smiling at it too. what woundrously beautiful intellegent gentle beast.