Two pregnant gorillas due to give birth five days apart this spring! Babies will be the second for each expectant mom

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications

Jamani (left) and Olympia (right) are both expecting babies this May! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo is proud to announce that two western lowland gorillas are expecting babies in May—and five days apart! The pregnant gorillas are Olympia, due May 19, and Jamani, due May 24. The father-to-be for both babies is Nadaya. The gestation period for gorillas is eight to nine months.

This will be the second offspring for both pregnant gorillas. Before arriving at Woodland Park Zoo in 2022, Olympia, 29, and Jamani, 26, lived together at North Carolina Zoo. Each gave birth to a son just weeks apart in 2012 and successfully raised them together.

Handsome silverback, Nadaya! These babies will mark his first foray into fatherhood—and we think he's going to be a great Dad! Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

For Nadaya, the silverback of the family group, the offspring will be his first. Adult male gorillas are known as silverbacks, which in the wild and in zoos play a critical role by providing stability, protecting, leading and maintaining peace in their family group. The silverback moved from Saint Louis Zoo, also in 2022.

Through a breeding recommendation by the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, the three western lowland gorillas were relocated to Woodland Park Zoo to form a family unit with Jumoke, an adult female who had been living alone after her male companion passed away. Today, the gorilla family represents a natural grouping of gorillas. Species Survival Plans are cooperative breeding programs across accredited zoos and aquariums to help ensure healthy, self-sustaining populations of threatened and endangered species.

26-year-old Jamani is an experienced mother. She and Olympia previously lived at North Carolina Zoo where they each gave birth to a son just weeks apart in 2012 and successfully raised them together. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

“A baby gorilla is exciting, but two babies will be so much fun for the gorilla care team and the community to watch them growing up together. Just like humans, gorillas also think their babies are cute. When a baby gorilla gets a little older, they become ticklish and have laughing vocalizations,” said Judy Sievert, a gorilla keeper at Woodland Park Zoo. “There is nothing more enriching than having a baby in a family group—except for having two gorillas. We are all in for a real treat!”

“We’re so excited to welcome two new gorilla infants to this family group. Since Olympia and Jamani will be second-time moms and they raised their sons together, they are no strangers to raising babies around each other,” said Tesh Hunter, a gorilla keeper at Woodland Park Zoo. “We can’t wait to see Nadaya step into the father role as a first-time dad. Both pregnant gorillas are doing great, and we can’t wait to meet our newest troop members.”

Olympia is 29 years old and is an experienced mother. This will be her second baby, but her first with Nadaya as father. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo has long had a successful gorilla breeding program and prepares birth management plans for each pregnancy. Pre- and post-natal care will include regular veterinary check-ups, a diet created by a nutritionist and supplemental vitamins to help the gorillas maintain a healthy weight for a delivery without challenges.

All gorillas at the zoo have been trained to voluntarily participate in non-invasive exams and procedures, which requires building trust between the gorilla care team and each gorilla. Much like humans, female gorillas have an approximate 28-day menstrual cycle which the gorilla keepers closely track. The females have been trained to urinate into a PVC pipe, and the gorilla care team uses the same human home pregnancy test kit to determine a pregnancy.

Our female gorillas are trained to urinate into a PVC pipe. Then the gorilla keepers use home pregnancy tests—the same ones humans use—to confirm if a baby is on the way. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo

Although both gorillas are experienced in raising babies, the zoo is providing maternal skills training as a precaution, explained Arden Robert, Animal Care Manager of Primates at Woodland Park Zoo. “We need to be prepared for all scenarios, particularly if one of the moms doesn’t immediately provide appropriate maternal care. We’re training Jamani and Olympia to pick up a burlap baby doll and bring it to the keepers on cue. This will allow the team to offer supplemental feedings of human infant formula should it become necessary,” said Robert. “In addition to bonding and nursing, another solid maternal behavior includes holding the baby close to keep it warm.”

Nadaya, seen here as an infant in 2001, was an ADORABLE baby! We know his kids will be too and we can't wait to meet them! Photo: Courtesy of Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo currently cares for 11 western lowland gorillas living in two separate family groups. Group one: silverback (adult male gorilla) Kwame; adult females Nadiri, Akenji and Uzumma; juvenile females Yola and Zuna, daughters of Nadiri; and juvenile male, Kitoko, son of Kwame and Uzumma. Group two: silverback Nadaya; and adult females Jumoke, Olympia and Jamani.

You can help protect gorillas and gorilla habitat by recycling old cell phones and handheld devices at one of the zoo's ECO-CELL collection bins. Photo: Elizabeth Bacher/Woodland Park Zoo

How You Can Help Gorillas

A portion of every visit and membership to Woodland Park Zoo supports saving wildlife in the Pacific Northwest and around the world, including protecting western lowland gorillas. Recycle old cell phones and other used handheld electronics through ECO-CELL to help preserve gorilla habitat. ZooParent adoptions help the zoo provide exceptional care for its gorillas and all its amazing animals.