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Belfast Zoo: Kongratulations it's a boy

Mother and baby
Author: Nigel GouldPublished 27th Jan 2022
Last updated 28th Jan 2022

It was a puzzle simply driving Belfast Zoo staff and visitors bananas...

For months now they'd been wondering if the latest arrival - a baby gorilla - was a boy or a girl?

And today the mystery was finally solved - after a gender reveal showed the infant was male.

It took a while to determine the sex of the baby as mother Kamili held him tightly for the first few months, which she will continue to do so until he is ready to start crawling and exploring.

Now, staff are keen to give him a name - and are asking for public help.

A shortlist of eight names has been drawn up by the zookeeping team who care for the apes at Belfast Zoo.

The names will be shared for a vote on the zoo’s Facebook page from Friday 28 January.

The names voters can choose between are:

  1. Raza – of African origin meaning “hope”
  1. Mfalme – Swahili name meaning “king”
  1. Babatunde – means "father has returned" in the Yoruba language
  1. Topaz – a beautiful gemstone, chosen simply because the keeper likes it!
  1. Bahati – Swahili name meaning “noble”
  1. Kofi – Ghanaian in origin meaning “born on a Friday”
  1. Johari – Swahili name meaning “jewel”
  1. Kenneth (Kenny) – after Belfast born actor and film maker, Kenneth Branagh
Proud father Gugas reckons he's a chimp off the old block

Belfast Zoo Curator, Julie Mansell, said: "The newest additional to our gorilla family is growing really well. He's very healthy and strong and is getting the best care from Kamili, who is a fantastic, experienced mother.

Now that he is four months old, he is increasingly alert and is showing more interest in food and playing with the rest of the family troop. Over the next couple of months, he will be learning to eat, walk and climb, which is a joy to watch. "

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