Critically endangered gorilla born at London Zoo

Western lowland gorillas, which inhabit dense and largely remote rainforests in west and central Africa, are classified as having a high risk of becoming extinct.

Numbers have declined by more than 60 percent over the last 25 years, due largely to deforestation, poaching and disease, according to the Zoological Society of London.

Soon after the birth around 9:30 am (0930 GMT) mother Mjukuu was spotted cradling her newborn, before allowing the troop's youngsters, Alika and Gernot, to examine the new arrival.

"We'll be giving mum and baby lots of time and space to get to know each other, and for the rest of the troop to get used to their new addition -- they're as excited as we are and can't stop staring at the baby," London Zoo's primates manager Kathryn Sanders said.

Zookeepers monitored Mjukuu throughout her pregnancy via CCTV cameras installed in the dens and found her "tenderly holding her newborn".

"When we returned to their back dens, we could see Mjukuu was starting to stretch and squat -- a sign that she was in labour," Sanders said.

The baby gorilla's father, Kiburi, arrived at London Zoo from Tenerife, Spain in November 2022 as part of the international conservation breeding programme for western lowland gorillas.

The name and sex of the newborn gorilla are yet to be determined.

Western lowland gorillas, which have brown-grey coats and auburn chests, are slightly smaller than other gorilla subspecies.

They also have wider skulls with more pronounced brow ridges and smaller ears and live in family troops, led by a male silverback, known to reach heights of up to 6 ft (182 cm) when standing upright.

The exact number of western lowland gorillas is not known as they inhabit some of the most dense and remote rainforests in Africa but the World Wildlife Fund estimates there could be about 100,000.