Gorilla mother, Kashata with her new baby boy

Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom has welcomed a new baby gorilla into its endangered western lowland family this month. This is the second gorilla born to the park in a month. Both gorillas are males and share the same father. We reported the first baby earlier this year.

Born September 3 to mother Kashata and father Gino, the new baby gorilla joins his brother, who was born on August 7 to mother Azizi as well as another adult female, Benga, and a four-year-old female named Lilly, who is also the daughter of Kashata.

“It’s exciting to see a strong, nurturing family of this endangered species flourishing at Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” said Jay Therien, Animal Operations Manager for Disney’s Animal Programs. ”As our bouncing baby boy bonds with Kashata, we’re thrilled with his health and development.” 

The gorilla family inhabits the wooded sanctuary of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This isn’t Katsha’s first baby so to watch her care for her newborn son and four-year-old daughter is quite remarkable. Because of her experience Kashata serves as a maternal role for Azizi as she too nurtures her new baby. Gino can also be seen taking care of his two sons, providing protection and guidance for his growing family. The names of the gorillas have not yet been released but stay tuned for more details!

The primate care team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is thrilled to have two new gorilla babies in their care. The gorilla habitat in Africa is currently dwindling due to the mining of coltan, a mineral used to make batteries for electronics so it is a very big deal that these gorillas at Animal Kingdom are reproducing.

Gorilla mother, Kashata with her new baby boy

This is the fifth gorilla born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Special Survival Plan. The first gorilla was born at the Disney park in 1997 before the park opened. The second baby arrived just two years later in 1999, in 2010 the third arrived and just a month ago, Animal Kingdom welcomed it’s fourth. 

For a chance to see these two new male gorilla babies at Disney’s Animal Kingdom look for discounted Walt Disney World tickets right here on Best of Orlando.

Orlando, FL – 10/01/14

By: Jena Pugh