On Thursday, July 20, the gorilla delivered birth, startling the zoo personnel in Ohio who had believed it was a male for the past four years. According to the Columbus Zoo, gorilla Sully, who has lived there since 2019, was discovered on Thursday with her little child. The zookeepers stated that Sully was “appearing to be an excellent mother” and that the infant “appears to be healthy” in the blog post. Furthermore, they claimed that Sully never required an examination because of her constant good health, which caused uncertainty.
The birth “was unexpected, yet exciting for the care team and important for the conservation of a critically endangered species”, said the zookeepers in a blog post. Nothing was suspected by the zookeepers till they saw the “believed to be male” gorilla nursing her child. “It’s hard to tell the sex of younger gorillas,” they stated. Sully was eight years old when the zoo officials said she was old enough to reproduce, but she was still too young to have clearly defined gender.
The zoo announced that it would do DNA tests to identify the father of the infant gorilla
“Until about eight, males and females are about the same size, and they don’t have prominent sex organs. Males don’t develop… their silver backs until 12 or later,” the authorities said. Due to their huge abdomens, gorillas typically do not display any signs of pregnancy, and their young are noticeably smaller than those of humans. “We’re thrilled by the addition of another birth for this critically endangered species,” the zoo stated. “As the 34th gorilla born here since 1956 when the Columbus Zoo became the first zoo in the world to welcome the birth of a baby gorilla, she’s an important part of our work to conserve these magnificent animals,” the authorities added.
The zoo announced that it would do DNA tests to identify the father of the infant gorilla. Sully has been living in a troop with two younger boys, Kamoli, 10, and JJ, 6, as well as the silverback Mac, the troop’s 39-year-old leader. The zoo said they are certain about the newborn’s sex despite the hitch with Sully. It’s a female! According to the zoo, “Our staff verified it visually and with images that were also sent to a monkey expert at another top zoological facility.
