Critically endangered baby gorilla born at National Zoo

A baby western lowland gorilla was born Sunday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC. Moke, which means “junior” or “little one” in the Lingala language, was born at 6:25 pm.The parents—15 year old mother Calaya and 26-year-old father Baraka—bred in summer 2017 following a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan (SSP). Animal care staff have watched Calaya nursing the infant, who has been clinging closely to his mother, and they are cautiously optimistic that the newborn will thrive.