Adorable baby gorilla is born at Seattle Zoo - only to be rejected by his uninterested mother

A male gorilla was born in Seattle about a week ago, only to be cast aside by the mother who carried him for nine months.

The yet-to-be named newborn came into the world on the morning of June 28 at the Woodland Park Zoo, which would normally be cause for celebration among staff and attendees alike. 

Unfortunately, there was a tragedy of abandonment, as the boy's mother Akenji would not care for him as a mothers normally do.

'The zoo's gorilla and animal health staff closely observed the birth and post-birth behaviors in the off-view bedrooms,' the zoo wrote in a blog post. 'Unfortunately, Akenji did not show appropriate maternal behaviors despite the months-long maternal skills training the gorilla care team provided.'

An hour after the gorilla was born, the zoo's animal care team stepped in for the baby's safety.

'Although we have been encouraging maternal behaviors, Akenji still hasn't shown any promising signs of interest to bond with her baby,' said Rachel Vass, Interim Animal Care Manager at Woodland Park Zoo.

'Because she demonstrated capable maternal behaviors throughout her training program, we're disappointed and a little surprised those instincts haven't kicked in.' 

Despite Akenji having apparently no interest in her child, the baby gorilla weighed slightly above average at 4.4 pounds and was deemed healthy by the zoo's Associate Veterinarian.

And not to worry, the newborn is being bottle fed human infant formula by staff, who are also doing everything they can to comfort him and keep him warm.

In between those feeding sessions, the baby is kept on a warm bed of hay and Akenji is encouraged to visit him for short periods of time so she can bond.

'As we continue to hand-rear her baby for the short term, the positive news is that he remains healthy, he has a great appetite and strong grip, and he is getting bigger every day,' Vass said.

This is the 16th gorilla to be born at the zoo since its opening in 1899.

It's also gorilla Kwame's third child, his other two being a son and daughter born in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The staff working directly with the gorillas will continue trying to get Akenji and her son to get closer.

'We have a professional, highly dedicated team of gorilla experts at Woodland Park Zoo who have more than eight decades of collective experience...preparing expectant moms for motherhood and uniting moms and infants or introducing other gorillas to step in as moms,' said Martin Ramirez, Interim Senior Director of Animal Care.