Baby gorilla born at Lincoln Park Zoo on Mother’s Day

It’s a boy!

A baby western lowland gorilla was born at the Lincoln Park Zoo early Sunday — just in time for Mother’s Day.

Baby and mother are both healthy, primate curator Jill Moyse said Tuesday, noting the species is critically endangered.

He’s a strong clinger, eater and pooper.

“And that’s all you can really ask for,” Moyse said.

He clung to his mother, occasionally nursing, as she climbed around Tuesday during a special sneak peak for media.

The as-yet-unnamed baby joins the family troop, including dad, Kwan; mother, Rollie; and five other females including a sister, Nayembi.

Zoo staff aren’t sure how the baby will be named. It’s possible a public naming contest could settle the issue.

Whatever he’s called, one thing is certain: He’ll be big.

His dad weighs over 400 pounds.

The connection between mom and baby was immediate, Moyse said.

“She picked him up and cleaned him off and hasn’t put him down since,” said Moyse, who discovered the baby had been born after arriving to work Sunday morning.

Moyse had been obsessively checking a private video feed of the gorilla enclosure, but decided to take the night off Saturday.

After seeing the newborn, Moyse tried to text her coworkers the happy news but there was too much adrenaline rushing through her.

“I couldn’t even text, you know when your so excited you can’t text? So I was like, ‘Uh . . . I’ll just call and FaceTime,’” she said.

Later, Moyse also realized she’d won the office baby pool.

She guessed wrong on the gorilla’s sex but got the time of birth: 2 a.m.

A small prize awaits. “It’s on order,” joked a coworker.

The Regenstein Center for African Apes, which houses the baby’s enclosure, was closed to the public Tuesday.

The public will get to see the baby gorilla beginning Wednesday. Zoo members will be allowed in from 10 a.m. to noon before everyone will be invited in from noon to 5 p.m. Those hours will be in place Thursday and Friday too. Regular hours will resume Saturday.

If you’re up for it, watch video of the birth.

Rollie, a 22-year-old gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Rollie, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Rollie, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Rollie, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Rollie, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Rollie, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Rollie, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla, cradles her newborn baby, an unnamed male who was born at 2 a.m. on Mother’s Day, at the Regenstein Center for African Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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