Gorilla at Utah’s Hogle Zoo is expecting a baby

SALT LAKE CITY — A 38-year-old gorilla at Utah’s Hogle Zoo is expected to give birth sometime in March, the zoo announced on Wednesday. 

The western lowland gorilla mother, Mary, came to the zoo with her daughter, Pele, in 2022.

Two years later, Pele gave birth to her own gorilla infant on May 30, 2024. The zoo said Pele is taking part in Mary’s current pregnancy by helping her prepare by reinforcing maternal behaviors, along with another mother in the troop called Jabali, who gave birth in 2020.

“As Mary nears the end of her eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy, animal care and health teams are closely monitoring her progress,” the zoo said.

Mary has had unsuccessful pregnancies in the past, according to the zoo, which requires the staff to be prepared for multiple outcomes. However, her past pregnancies have helped inform her care team, and therefore her prenatal care includes voluntary training and ultrasounds to check the infant’s bone development and limb movement.

According to the zoo, the baby’s father, Husani, is a 34-year-old silverback who is also the leader and protector of the zoo’s gorilla troop. Husani, who has been at the Hogle Zoo since 2010, fathered both Pele and Jabali’s children — Georgia in 2020 and Addo, who was born in 2024. 

Over the past 20 to 25 years, the zoo said poaching and disease have reduced wild gorilla population by over 60%. According to the zoo, scientists have estimated that even if all threats were eliminated now, it would still require approximately 75 years to recover.

This means, the zoo said, that Mary’s pregnancy “represents a significant milestone for western lowland gorilla conservation.” 

The news of Mary’s upcoming birth came just over a week after the zoo announced the successful birth of a giraffe calf in the African Savanna barn.

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