Bouncing baby boy! Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo welcomes infant gorilla, releases new photos

Update on Monday, March 9: Woodland Park Zoo has released new photos of its newest addition! The unnamed male infant gorilla remains off view in the sleeping den area to bond with its mother, Uzumma. Both appear healthy and are doing well, according to Woodland Park Zoo's blog.

Read on for more information about the infant.

Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo welcomed a bouncing baby boy gorilla on Wednesday, March 4 at 2:48 a.m.

The infant, who does not yet have a name, was born to first-time mother Uzumma, 12, and Kwame, 20. Kwame came to Woodland Park Zoo in 2018 from Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

It may be a few weeks before Uzumma and her baby will be outdoors for viewing. Zoo officials are monitoring the new mother and infant in their sleeping den 24 hours a day to ensure they bond and are healthy.

Once they are sufficiently bonded and outdoor temperatures are at least 65 degrees, they will be allowed to enter the public outdoor enclosure at their leisure.

“So far Uzumma is showing good maternal skills. She’s holding her baby and being attentive,” Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo, said in a news release. “We will do visual neonatal exams only and remain hands off. However, if there are any visible concerns, we will intervene.”

The duo can be seen laying together in a video posted to Woodland Park Zoo's social media.

The infant is the 14th gorilla born at Woodland Park Zoo. Other than the baby born Wednesday, the most recent gorilla birth was Yola in November 2015.

"Each new gorilla is a symbol of hope for their cousins in the wild, for the forests they live in and for our planet," said Ramirez.

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