Mother cuddles newborn endangered gorilla after 17-minute birth at London Zoo

London Zoo has welcomed a critically endangered western lowland gorilla infant, after a speedy 17-minute labour.

The tiny infant was born at the conservation zoo to mother Mjukuu at 9:34am on Wednesday (17 January), following an approximately eight-and-a-half-month-long pregnancy.

London Zoo’s gorilla keepers were carrying out their usual morning duties when they first spotted that Mjukuu was in labour. Giving the experienced mother some space, they monitored her via CCTV cameras installed in the dens.

Moments after giving birth in the privacy of their back dens, Mjukuu could be seen gently cradling her newborn, before allowing the troop’s curious youngsters Alika and Gernot to examine the intriguing new arrival.