SEATTLE — The Woodland Park Zoo released ultrasound images of a soon-to-be-born gorilla for the first time. The images are crucial for tracking the baby gorilla's development as its expected to be born in a month.
A troop of seven gorillas are getting ready to welcome a new one. Akenji, a 22-year-old western lowland gorilla is weeks away from giving birth.
"Her stomach has really expanded and she's quote on quote showing now," said Rachel Vass, interim animal care manager at Woodland Park Zoo.
Vass has been working closely with the gorillas there for 11 years and this will be the fourth baby born since her time at Woodland Park Zoo.
"They are pregnant for nine months, just like we are and their babies, lucky them, are only about four to four and a half pounds. Their babies are much smaller than ours," Vass said.
This will be the first time Akenji will give birth. She is due at the end of June or early July.
"She has been pregnant before, but unfortunately miscarried. It's not uncommon for these guys. We're finding evidence of that in humans as well, where people and animals miscarry much more than we realize," Vass said.
That's why the ultrasound video and images released for the first time are so crucial.
"We've been able to track the fetal development, make sure that everything is still going okay, and everything's wonderful," Vass said,.
The zoo has used ultrasounds for sometime, but the technology has improved and images are much more clear.
"You can see the pulsing of the beating heart and the little fist stretching, and you can just see the fetus shifting around and moving in there, it was very cool," Vass said.
The way those images are possible are through training and the gorilla's trust with the team that cares for them.
"The animals are trained to come and they basically sit on a little station, and they present their belly and the keeper ask them to hold there. Somebody from our animal health department is there interpreting the ultrasound," Vass said.
"All of our training is voluntary participation. What makes it work is the relationship that the keepers have with the animals, we really builds that trust relationship. They know and trust that this is not going to be painful, this is nothing bad, there's nothing negative," Vass said.
Akenji is doing well and eating and sleeping more in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Two weeks before she's set to give birth zoo experts will watch cameras set up in the enclosure 24/7. If everything goes smoothly, Akenji will give birth in her enclosure and if it's during the daytime, there's a chance zoo goers could witness it.
The images released by the zoo and the birth of a new gorilla help with its conservation efforts.
"We can teach people about the animals and get them to care and really buy into that passion about animal conservation," Vass said.
Vass said while this is the first baby that Akenji will have she has witnessed three other births and helped new moms apart of her troop which prepared her for motherhood.
"There’s not much better for a gorilla troop than to have a new baby born. It brings the group together and those bonds solidify. Everyone loves a baby," Vass said.
The baby’s father, Kwame, has two other offspring at the zoo – Kitoko, a male gorilla born in March 2020, and Zuna, a female gorilla born in January 2021.
There are two family groups of gorillas at Woodland Park Zoo. The new baby will join the first group with Kwame, Akenji, two other adult females, and several juvenile gorillas, including Kitoko and Zuna.