Unnamed Infant Gorilla (2024-2024) | Obituary
Obituary
The infant gorilla has died just five days after her birth in November 2024.
An infant female Western lowland gorilla died at Zoo Atlanta, as revealed in a Facebook post. She was born to mother, Kambera, and father, Willie B. Jr. They also have a son named Willie B. III. A necropsy has not yet been released.
The zoo initially reported that Kambera was caring for the infant but also noted she had rejected a baby while being held at a different zoo. While the infant mortality rate for Western lowland gorillas in the wild is high, gorillas in captivity frequently reject their infants or lack the skills to care for them properly. It’s unclear why, though gorilla mothers who have been raised by their parents are more likely to care for their own children.
Western lowland gorillas are one of four subspecies of gorilla (which also includes the Cross River gorillas, Grauer’s gorillas, and mountain gorillas). They are native to Africa, specifically the forests and swamps of Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Western gorillas typically live in social groups with one adult male, multiple adult females, and their children. Groups also engage with other groups, including in play interactions, and much more frequently than previous research suggested. A zoo habitat is vastly impoverished compared to what gorillas would experience in the wild, it’s not possible to replicate the social dynamics and vast forests of their natural homes.
Western gorillas are critically endangered, and their population is decreasing. Major threats to gorillas include disease (the Zaire Ebolavirus), poaching, and habitat destruction. In the early 2000s, over 90% of the gorilla populations in some areas were killed by Ebola. Gorillas are routinely captured and killed for bushmeat as well as the “pet” trade. Their habitat is rapidly being converted to industrial agriculture and degraded by climate change.
The only way to ensure a future with gorillas is to protect their habitats. World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves gorillas to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at accredited sanctuaries.
