Mandara & Baraka
Details Mandara cradles Baraka ya M'welu, who was born on the evening of April 11, 1992 to Haloko. No one knows exactly what happened, but when the staff arrived the next morning, Mandara had both the newborn, Baraka, as well as her own one-year-old, Kejana. Haloko had given birth previously at the Philadelphia Zoo, but her infants were pulled for hand-rearing. To learn more see Gorillas Just Want to Have Fun by Kim Eisler - Washingtonian Magazine.
Species Lowland Gorilla - Gorilla G. Gorilla
Range Zaire River Basin, from coastal Gabon to the Virunga Mts. of Zaire, Rwanda & Uganda.
Habitat Undisturbed rain forests to 3,000 m. (10,000 ft.).
Social Structure Troops of 4 to 30 gorillas; a silver-backed male leads each troop.
Behavior Shy, unaggresive. Builds nests on the ground or in trees up to 18 m. (60 ft.) where they spend the night.
Voice About 16 different vocalizations.
Diet Prefers leaves, shoots & buds.
Lifespan 37 years in zoos.
Status Endangered