Sydney's newest western lowland gorilla baby has finally been sexed, and keepers have announced that it's a boy! The adorable little guy hasn't been named as yet, but he's already on display to the public at Taronga Zoo when his mother, Frala, decides to venture out into the enclosure.
The little gorilla was born on May 14, but up until yesterday Frala had him clutched so close to her chest - the warmest part of her body - that keepers were unable to determine his sex. It was only while she groomed the baby on Sunday afternoon that they could get a closer look.
"He's got strong neck muscles, he's very active and alert and he's looking around and watching the other gorillas," primate supervisor Lou Grossfeld announced to the media on Monday. "He's suckling a lot from Frala so these are all very positive signs to see."
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, with only around 100,000 left in the wild. This is the second gorilla baby born at the zoo in the past seven months as part of an international breeding program. So far the program is going well, and just a few weeks ago another Western lowland gorilla was born at Melbourne Zoo - the first born at the zoo in 15 years - showing that there's still hope for the species.
And if you think the pictures of this new little baby boy are cute, the keepers in Melbourne managed to film the entire birth of their newborn. The result is pretty adorable, but also a little gruesome. You've been warned.