A new baby is on the way at the Cincinnati Zoo

The video above is from FOX19 NOW’s previous coverage.

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - “Zoo Babies” Month is just around the corner, but one primate is already ahead of the unofficial Cincinnati Zoo holiday.

Gladys, the 12-year-old gorilla, the Cincinnati Zoo announced Wednesday.

“Gladys has been set up really well for being a first-time mom, and we are prepared for every outcome, including giving her the best maternal care and training her for different scenarios,” Cincinnati Zoo’s head gorilla keeper Ashley Ashcraft said in a press release. “We are all very excited to see everything come full circle for her. She is an exceptional gorilla.”

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums manages gorilla populations in North American zoos and recommended Gladys breed with another gorilla as part of her special survival plan.

The breeding process lasted for nearly two years until it had to be put on hold due to Gladys’ injury.

In April 2024, Gladys broke her arm after getting involved in a fight with two other gorillas at the zoo. A week later, she received surgery with the help from medical professionals at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Once surgery was over, Gladys received the world’s first ever 3D-printed titanium cast.

“Her arm has healed, and we don’t expect her to have trouble carrying a baby around,” said Ashcraft.  “Gorilla babies actually do most of the work to stay attached to mom.  They hold on tight to the fur on mom’s body, which is something we simulated for Gladys by wearing hair vests that she could grip when she was little.”

The western lowland gorilla’s journey at the Cincinnati Zoo began in 2013.

Gladys’ biological mother rejected her after she was born at the Gladys Port Zoo in Texas. When she was five months old, she received a surrogate mother at the Cincinnati Zoo named M’Linzi.

“Gladys’ journey—from being raised by human surrogates to becoming a confident member of the gorilla troop to overcoming a significant injury—is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our primate care team,” said Victoria McGee, the Zoo’s curator of primates. “They have gone above and beyond for Gladys and, obviously, will continue to do so.”

The father of the soon-to-be baby gorilla is Mbeli, a 22-year-old silverback gorilla, who is also a first-time parent.

The gestation length for gorillas is about eight to nine months.

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