Kipenzi Finds Her Feet

It’s an exciting time for our gorilla family - our youngest gorilla Kipenzi is growing up. Over the last few weeks keepers have been fortunate enough to see Kipenzi growing, not only in size, but in confidence.

Kipenzi, meaning ‘Precious One’ in Swahili, was born back in January last year to Kriba, one of our three adult females. Until recently Kipenzi could be found attached to mum, either cradled in her arms or riding shotgun on her back. However over the last few weeks Kipenzi has been seen standing on her own, climbing on logs, swinging on ropes and foraging for food around the exhibit. It’s great to see Kipenzi demonstrating this independence and safe to say that Kriba is never too far away. Like any good mother, Kriba keeps a close eye on her daughter and is always ready to pull her back in line if she wanders too far.

As for the rest of the group, this is a very special time as they watch their youngest member begin to explore the world around her. Our two young boys, Fuzu, and Mahali, 5, are fascinated with their new little sister. They have been seen following Kriba around the exhibit and will quite cheekily snatch Kipenzi away for a play session. It’s amazing to see how each of our gorillas are responding to Kipenzi’s new found confidence and it’s reassuring to see our smallest group member finding her place in gorilla life.Primate Keeper Renae