Aspinall Foundation Pleased To Announce Birth Of New Gorilla

The Aspinall Foundation is pleased to announce the birth of a western lowland gorilla at its conservation project in Africa.

The baby gorilla arrived on January 7th at the Aspinall Foundation’s Gabon gorilla reserve. This is the second such birth at the reserve and is a great sign for the species which is critically endangered.

The number of gorillas in the wild is decreasing at an alarming rate so every birth is vital to the conservation project. The number of western lowland gorillas has fallen by over 60 per cent over the last two and a half. The fall in numbers is largely due to hunting, disease and very low reproductive rates. According to scientific calculations even if there were no threats to gorilla population it would still take as long as 75 years for their population to recover.

Critically Endangered

The mother of the infant Moanda was introduced to the Gabonese reserve in July 1998 as an orphan and is part of the first reintroduction group for the project. This is Moanda’s second child after she delivered a daughter in 2008. The latest arrival marks the 23rd member of the silverback Tonga’s increasing group.

The Aspinall Foundation has been present in Gabon since 1998 working with local communities and the national government to help preserve and protect the western lowland gorilla which is critically endangered. The reservation currently includes close to 1 million acres of land and has been lauded for how successful it’s anti poaching campaign. A recent scientific study published in Oryx and international conservation journal has confirmed that the attempt to reintroduce these gorillas into parts of Africa where they were previously extinct has been successful.