Cradling Two Babes

Eleven-year-old first-time mum Duni is holding both her baby - the nearly four-month-old female Mobi (left) - and her grandmother’s baby, Kijivu (right), born in mid-April. This testifies to the fact that Duni currently has a strong position in the group hierarchy. These days there is a high chance you too will be able to see this. Photo by Kateřina Jíšová

On Monday, Duni was carrying her almost four-month-old daughter, Mobi, and the almost three-week-old female, Kijivu, at the same time. She also breastfed both cubs. She took on the role of nanny for a full three hours. This remarkable event – even though it was for a short while - was repeated yesterday morning. This means there is a high chance of seeing her doing so again in the coming days. The western lowland gorillas tend to be most active when they are being fed, at 10am and 3pm.

Mobi was born on January 2 and her half-sister was born on April 12. For the first time in Prague Zoo’s history, people can watch two gorilla babies at the same time. The second baby will be “baptised” by the world-famous primatologist and nature conservationist Jane Goodall on Saturday, 11 May at 11 am in the Dja Reserve.