Babies

On the same day as Alex's last beating, a new gorilla was born. The mother, Bebe (yes, that's her name), had been tested to see if she was pregnant, but the test came back negative. So the baby was something of a surprise. And this kid is ugly. We still can't tell the sex, but the infant was born about a month prematurely and is getting special medicine. Note the lack of hair and the lovely umbilical cord. Watching the mother and child it still quite cool. Bebe carries her baby around as if it were a doll, usually no head support so the infant's head hangs back with mouth open. You can see the little hands clinging to the mother's hair even this young.

The mother-child interactions are the most fun to watch. The kids just hang on while the mother moves around. The infants can walk early but are still very awkward with their limbs even after 2 years.


And at nap time, the kids find a comfortable place with mom. Despite some of the rougher realities of primate life, sights like these make these animals seem more like relatives.