UPDATE: The North Carolina Zoo announced on Wednesday that the baby gorilla born to mother Acacia has died. They say that the cause is uncertain, although it is possible that the mother may have accidentally rolled over onto the the infant in her sleep.
In the past year, the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro has seen the birth of three baby gorillas, an extremely rare event for any zoo. The latest baby, however, had a difficult arrival. When its mother, Acacia, went into labor Saturday morning but did not progress after 24 hours, the male gorilla baby had to be delivered via a cesarean section.
In a statement from the zoo, Curator of Mammals Adrian Fowler said on Monday, “The yet-to-be-named infant and mother appear to be doing fairly well, under the circumstances.” She also said that both mother and child will be under 24-hour observation by zoo staff and that it is uncertain when the public will be able to see the baby.
Only four gorillas have ever been born at the North Carolina Zoo. The first was in 1989, and the last three were all born in the past year. The father of the latest three is Nkosi, a 20-year old who came to the N.C. Zoo in 2008.