SEATTLE - After a gestation period of eight and a half months, Woodland Park Zoo’s 16-year-old western lowland gorilla, Jumoke (juh-MOH-kee), gave birth Tuesday night to a 4.4-pound female. The newborn marks the third offspring for Jumoke and the second between her and the father, 22-year-old Vip. A widely regarded world leader in the conservation of animals, the zoo has succeeded in contributing 10 births to the North American population of endangered western lowland gorillas.

According to zoo Senior Keeper Helen Shewman, Jumoke experienced a normal delivery in the gorilla’s nighttime enclosure. “However, after one and a half hours of excellent care, Jumoke appeared exhausted and overwhelmed and gently laid her new infant down. When Jumoke failed to pick up the infant again, veterinary staff placed the infant at the zoo’s animal health nursery to ensure her well-being.

Efforts to reintroduce the mother and infant are progressing slowly. They will continue to take place on a daily basis. During this process when the gorilla infant is not with her mother and family, she will be cared for at the zoo’s nursery.

Zoo Associate Veterinarian Dr. Darin Collins reports that the infant gorilla is in excellent health, has a strong grip and appears to be nursing well. “We hope that Jumoke accepts her infant completely,” explains Collins, because “the social and physiological benefits of being raised in a gorilla group are impossible for human caretakers to duplicate.”

Zookeepers are striving to maintain a normal routine for the gorilla family. Jumoke and her group will be on view in the naturalistic gorilla habitat except during reintroductions. If they are successful, the infant will be on view, weather permitting. In addition to the father, Vip, Jumoke’s group includes: Jumoke's 3-year-old daughter, Monifa (moh-NEE-fuh); and Amanda and her 3-year-old daughter, Ngozi (en-GO-zee). Both juvenile gorillas are the offspring of Vip.

The zoo’s last gorilla birth occurred last October when Vip's third offspring, Naku (NAW-koo), was born to 10-year-old Alafia (uh-LAW-fee-uh), both of whom live in an adjacent naturalistic habitat. Other members of the second group include Alafia's parents, 33-year-old Pete and 33-year-old Nina; and 5-year-old Jumoke's firstborn, Nadiri.

As a scientific and conservation center, Woodland Park Zoo participates in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for gorillas. Through participation, the zoo has helped diversify the gorilla gene pool in North American zoos æ 12 gorillas have been born at Woodland Park since 1975; 10 have survived. The zoo also works to educate the public about gorillas æ a critical first step towards gorilla conservation.

All gorillas are endangered. The estimated population of wild western lowland gorillas is about 110,000. The bushmeat trade, which is decimating African wildlife including gorillas and their young, is fueled by increased logging and is an imminent threat to the western lowland gorilla population, particularly in West and Central Africa. Another primary reason for their endangered status is habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion.

For more information about the zoo’s gorillas and its conservation efforts, check out Woodland Park Zoo’s Web site at www.zoo.org. Zoo summer hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. For general zoo info log onto the zoo’s Web site or call 206-684-4800.