ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) – A critically endangered gorilla born last week at Zoo Atlanta has died, according to zoo officials.
Officials say the female western lowland gorilla, who had not yet been named, was found dead Monday morning. The infant was born Wednesday to Kambera and Willie B. Jr., the zoo announced Saturday, according to WANF.
Zoo officials said at the time that the infant had not been seen nursing. Kambera, however, had been holding her new baby closely and responding to her cries, and staff were hopeful nature would take its course.
Kambera, 25, previously rejected another infant before coming to Zoo Atlanta.
Staff hydrated and fed Kambera’s new infant before returning the newborn to her mother, and “in a very encouraging turn of events,” Kambera began nursing the infant, said zoo officials Monday.
“Sadly, however, the infant was observed to be deceased this morning,” officials said.
A necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, will be conducted to learn the infant’s cause of death.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of not just this special little individual, but by the loss of a newborn member of a critically endangered species,” said Gina Ferrie, the zoo’s vice president of collections and conservation, in a statement. “Like humans, newborn gorillas are very fragile, and the first few days of life are uncertain for any baby animal.”
Native to central Africa, western lowland gorillas are listed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). When last assessed in 2016, researchers discovered the species’ population had shrunk by more than 80% since the ‘50s.
Western lowland gorillas are threatened by poaching, disease and habitat loss, the IUCN said.
“If there is an encouraging takeaway from this sad moment, it is that we were so encouraged to see Kambera, who had not previously reared an infant, display all of the maternal inclinations we hoped to see,” Ferrie said. “Our teams worked tirelessly and with outstanding commitment to help Kambera prepare for the birth and, following the birth, to ensure her and her infant’s wellbeing.”
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