Yesterday came the sad news that the second baby twin gorillas has died at Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey.
The twin’s mother, Kahili, gave birth prematurely to the twins last Tuesday (26th April). Unfortunately one of the twins died shortly after, and the second on Saturday night.
As part of the grieving process is it normal for gorillas to carry the dead infant for some time, which Durrell Wildlife Park supported so Kahili could grieve for her loss.
The twins’ birth for Kahili’s second, after previously giving birth to Indigo with silverback Badongo back in 2012.
This is the second tragic loss for the gorillas at the wildlife park in the space of three years, after previously losing a baby gorilla in April 2013. It was mother Bahasha’s first pregnancy, and again it was believed the infant was born prematurely.
Like Kahili, Bahasha also carried the dead infant with her as she went through the grieving process.
Badongo was also the father, which now means he’s suffered the loss of three infant gorillas. He was brought to the wildlife park in 2011 to replace a male gorilla that had not bred in a number of years, in the hope he’d take centre stage in a breeding programme.
It’s tragic news for Durrell and as well as the gorillas, the keepers will no doubt be feeling the loss and hoping that Kahili’s next pregnancy is successful. We wish them all the best as every gorilla birth is precious and ever more so due to their numbers in the wild.
