Two baby gorillas die at Durrell

Tuesday 03 May 2016

Keepers are mourning the loss of two baby Western Lowland gorillas at Durrell.

Mum Kahilli had given birth to twins on Tuesday which they say is very rare - but sadly one didn't make it through the night, and the other didn't survive the weekend.

Head of Mammals Dom Wormell said: "We were extremely sad to find that Kahilli’s second infant had died during the night. This remaining infant had looked quite strong the night before and had been seen feeding several times throughout the day, so we were quite optimistic about its chances.

"It is nearly always the best option to leave a newborn with its mother to be parent reared, and as Kahilli was being very attentive and the baby was seen suckling, leaving it with her was the correct decision.

"The twin that had died earlier was extremely small for a new-born gorilla, being 25% below the average weight, and the second infant looks similar in size and weight. Kahilli still has the dead baby with her; it is normal for gorillas to carry an infant that has died for some time.

"We will retrieve the tiny body at the appropriate time, but we feel it is important for Kahilli to have the chance to grieve for her loss. This is a very sad episode for Kahilli, the group, and the Durrell team but we know that Kahilli is a great mother and Badongo is a gentle and caring father, and we are confident there will be successful births in the future."

Western lowland gorillas, the largest of all primates, are still very rare and face being wiped out altogether in their native Africa because of the illegal 'bush meat' trade and loss of their habitat.

 (Photo credit: Charlie Wylie)