LONDON (AP) 鈥 The newest endangered baby gorilla at the London Zoo is more than six weeks old but doesn鈥檛 yet have a name. Zookeepers aren鈥檛 even sure if it鈥檚 a male or female because they haven鈥檛 been able to get close enough to examine it.
A photo taken Monday by The Associated Press shows why: The gorilla's mother, Effie, has the baby in her loving cuddle.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually quite tricky to sex a young gorilla without a close-up examination,鈥 said Rebecca Blanchard, a zoo spokesperson. 鈥淭he infant is still held closely by its mum most of the time, and here at London Zoo, we leave the baby in mum鈥檚 capable hands.鈥
The tiny ape that arrived Feb. 8 is one of two baby western lowland gorillas born at the zoo this winter. Another mother, Mjukuu, gave birth to a little one almost a month earlier.
Both babies were sired by Kiburi, a 19-year-old silverback brought to the zoo from Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands as part of a conservation breeding program to help preserve the critically endangered gorilla subspecies.
The birth of Effie's baby wasn't simple. The gorilla arrived wrapped in its umbilical cord, posing a possible threat to its life.
Zookeepers watched over it for the first three days, making sure it continued to feed and move around until the cord finally detached.
London Zoo, located within Regent's Park, is opening a new habitat to the public on Friday called to replace its old Reptile House.
