But if you want to skip nature’s most graphic miracle, here is gorilla mom Calaya kissing (well, cleaning) her newborn Moke awake moments after his entrance into the world at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on April 15:
The zoo says Moke is the first male western lowland gorilla to be born at the facility in nine years, and so far things are going well. Calaya was trained to accept fetal ultrasounds, and Moke’s progress in utero was good. He is now being nursed by his mom. Also, fun fact, they used a human pregnancy test to confirm Moke was on the way. The things zoologists get up to!
Look at this bonding:
While Jezebel considers Fiona the Hippo a personal friend, Moke shows strong potential as a sweet baby animal making it’s way into the world and teaching us all lessons about love, connection, and personal growth. Fiona, of course, was born with an unaccountable amount of wisdom for one so small. She had to fight to survive, whereas Moke has been gently coddled since birth. However, he lives in an uncertain world. Lowland gorillas are critically endangered due to poaching and disease. Let’s support Moke with all the love we have in our hearts, that isn’t already exclusively reserved for a baby hippo.