Baby Gorilla

Zooborns.com has some great pictures of the new baby gorilla born at the National Zoo on January 10.

As part of our zoo trip this past weekend, we were lucky to see the baby with her mother, Mandara.

The two were sleeping soundly for a good while, huddled together in the peacefulness of a Saturday morning.

As the mother woke up, she sat with her baby in her lap and caressed her with great affection. We were told by the caretakers at the zoo that if they tell Mandara she has a beautiful baby, she'll pat the child gently on the head.

When a loud crowd came into the Ape House, the mother swiftly retreated with her baby to a corner in their enclosure with the baby hidden well out of sight from the oncoming people. When they left, she slowly returned to the forefront, hugging her child. It was a remarkably touching event to witness.