ENDANGERED GORILLA BORN AT TWYCROSS ZOO
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species. The adorable baby gorilla was born at approximately 9.15am on Thursday 3rd January at Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire. Mum, Ozala, experienced a natural and stress-free birth and is keeping the new arrival very close to her. Curator of Living Collections, Charlotte Macdonald, said: “Ozala is a confident, attentive mother and is taking great care of her baby. The baby’s father, our silverback Oumbie, is gentle but protective and is showing a lot of interest in the infant. On the day of the baby’s birth he was very inquisitive, sitting beside Ozala and putting his face right up to the baby to smell it. In time, he will touch and play with the baby but for now he lets Ozala take things at her own pace.” The western lowland gorilla is listed as 'critically endangered' on the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species, as there are estimated to be fewer than 100,000 left in the wild.
Other great stories
SEAL GETS READY FOR HIS CLOSE UP
WIDE EYED and staring straight down the lens of the camera, this intrigued seal is ready for his close up .
AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: HOTEL WITH A TWIST
These uninvited guests ELEPHANTLY make their annual trip through the reception of this welcoming lodge .
LIQUID SCULPTURES
A BEAUTIFUL sight for the eyes and the imagination, these liquid sculptures take shape in many different colours and formations .
ABANDONED CARE HOME LIES FORGOTTEN
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
BIRD FISHING
DIVING down at a speed of 75mph, this is the moment a hungry osprey caught his prey .
WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS DIVE
Standing on the edge of a never-ending black hole, this is one leap you wouldn't want to make .
JUSTIN BIEBER FAN LOSES 7 STONE TO BE HIS 'GIRLFRIEND'
Bryanna Debinder, 20, from Pennsylvania in the USA, has lost 7 stone in order to impress her idol .
FUNERAL COMPANY MAKE DIAMONDS FROM CREMATED REMAINS
SPARKLING bright inside their box, it’s hard to believe these diamonds are made from the cremated remains of the deceased .
ADORABLE POLAR BEAR CUBS PLAY-FIGHT IN THE SNOW
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
MY ANOREXIC CAT CURED MY ANOREXIA
A young woman who once weighed the same as 12-year-old girl has told how a severely malnourished cat helped save her life and beat her anorexia .
SERENE ICEBERGS
A SERENE turquoise glow glimmers from underneath these powerful icebergs .
WHITE TAILED EAGLES FIGHT FOR FOOD
The claws come out at meal time as a group of white tailed eagles brawl over road-kill .