In a scarce sight, a wild gorilla was captured on camera cuddling with her newborn baby. Moments like these are rarely noticed, let alone captured on tape. However, a group of conservationists has witnessed the lovely sight in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, in the Republic of Congo.
While observing the western lowland gorilla population in the Nouabalé-Ndoki park, a team from the Wildlife Conservation Society found a gorilla mother and her one-week-old baby. The two delivered an emotional display of mother-daughter affection. Gorillas are often overprotective when it comes to their newborn babies and don’t let anyone get close to them for the first few weeks after birth.
During the toddler weeks, baby gorillas are 100% dependent on their mothers for food, body temperature, and of course, protection. Even so, with all their efforts, baby gorillas still face some extremely harsh challenges as only one in three newborns reach adulthood. Unfortunately, the odds are falling lower due to the human hand.
Congo Wildlife Conservation Society director Mark Gately told us: “Many of the factors that work against baby gorillas are natural hazards related to their environment, such as predators. – mostly leopards. “Unfortunately, there is also a significant risk posed by human activities.”
Western lowland gorillas are part of the critically endangered species list after their numbers have dropped dramatically over the past decades. Currently, there are between 150,000 and 250,000 western lowland gorillas in the wild, and nearly 60% of them live in the Republic of Congo.
You can watch the beautiful moment here:
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