32-year-old female Shinda holding the cub of her half-sister, 31-year-old female Kijivu. Behind this situation is the close relationship between the two gorillas, who live together all their lives. From the left, the 26-year-old male Kisumu and the 11-year-old female Duni are also pictured. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
An extraordinary spectacle – two baby lowland gorillas – awaits visitors at the Prague Zoo. The Kijiva female has been lending her offspring to her half-sister Shinda less than two weeks after giving birth. On the other hand, Duni, the mother of the female Mobi, born in January, continues to guard her daughter carefully and has not yet loaned the four-month-old infant to anyone. The different approaches of a mother of five and a first-time mother can be seen with your own eyes in the pavilion of the Dja Reserve. Best at 10 am or 3 pm, when the gorillas are fed.
Kijivu has known Shinda all his life, they have never lived apart, so he has a lot of trust in her. Just a few days after giving birth, she lends her half-sister a small gorilla – according to preliminary observations, also a female – for burial and inspection without any problems. At that moment, Shinda shows herself as an experienced mother, and, even in the role of nanny, she instinctively tries to feed her niece or nephew.
A typical scene observed these days in the Dja Reserve: Kijivu (left) with a two-week-old cub on her breast or belly and Duni (right) with an almost four-month-old Mobi on her back while traveling through the pavilion. Photo by Jaroslav Šimek, Prague Zoo
The greatest interest in the new cub seems to be the same as in the case of Mobi, the newly eight-year-old gorilla adolescent Ajabu. He doesn’t miss a single opportunity for even a fleeting touch. It’s like he’s checking to see if he can play with his new partners. The leader of the Kisumu gang has an overview of everything, and if Ajabu hits on the females too much, he does not hesitate to kill the young man.
Mobi is almost four months old and the breeders have just discovered her sixth milk tooth. She also sucks solid food, although she does not swallow it yet. According to the assumption, Mobi is also trying to get back on its feet. But for now, he can only last a little while before he returns to all fours again. She is also trying to be a toddler, but still with the help of Duni, who supports her tummy with her hand. They also try to grab branches and ropes. In short, he shows all the abilities that such an old and healthy young gorilla should show.
A young female Kijivu, which was born in the Prague Zoo on April 12. A month later – on May 11 – world-renowned primatologist and nature conservationist Jane Goodall “baptizes” Kijiva’s fifth child. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
Cubs are of course an enrichment not only for the gorilla family but also for visitors to the Prague Zoo. Having two such small gorillas in a group is rather exceptional in the context of the world’s zoos. The spacious auditorium in the warmth of the Dja Reserve pavilion, where people can have a snack or charge their mobile phones, is thus a unique space for watching the growth of both cubs, their joint steps, and discovering the world.
While little Mobi’s name was chosen by Cameroonian schoolchildren and then by the Czech public in the final vote, the second born cub will be named by world-renowned primatologist and nature conservationist Jane Goodall. She will visit the Prague Zoo next month, and on May 11 at 11 a.m., the cub’s ceremonial “christening” will take place. In cooperation with the Czech University of Agriculture, the Prague Zoo organizes a public lecture by this legendary English scientist. The zoo will soon publish more information about registration for the event on its website and social networks.
Little Mobi tries to grab a branch or a rope in the exhibit from the back of her mother Duni. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo