Sometimes, nothing hits the spot better than a heartwarming video that just leaves you sobbing. You know what we mean. Right? If you’re with us, here’s one such video that’s guaranteed to make you cry those oh-so-cathartic happy tears.
A gorilla at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo just gave birth to little baby gorilla, and like all new mommies, all she wants to do is kiss and snuggle her new baby. Watch her gaze down at her baby in what appears to be pure wonderment and joy:
How sweet is that? What a good mama! And she’s not only kissing him, but also appears to be simultaneously cleaning him, wiping away neonatal matter as she holds him in her arms.
Here’s another adorable photo of mom carrying her new baby:
Below is an Instagram photo of Calaya from April 6, while she was still pregnant. According to the caption, the zoo’s primate keepers were watching her closely for signs that she was getting closer to giving birth.
“She was doing a lot of pacing and walking around,” Meredith Bastian, the zoo’s curator of primates, told The Mercury News. “She grabbed lots of blankets … She would wrap herself in them. She would use them to brace herself a little bit as she was pushing.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhPZKIEBUSx/?hl=en&taken-by=smithsonianzoo
Bastian also how special it was to watch Calaya give birth.
“We were all kind of shaking a little with happiness,” she told The Mercury News. “It was an amazing moment to share with the team. We were all really close to tears.”
Calaya is a 15-year-old western lowland gorilla at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Her new baby is the first male gorilla to have been born there in nine years. The little male has been named Moke, which means “junior” or “little one” in the African language of Lingala.
The zookeepers said that when the father, Baraka, first saw his newborn son, he gave a “pleasure rumble,” which is apparently a gorilla’s way of showing happiness.
Calaya and Moke have since been seen snuggling together, as shown in the touching image below:
Just look at this sweet photo of Calaya cradling and gazing at her newborn baby. Human parents around the world will surely recognize that look of pure love.
The Great Ape House at the National Zoo has been reopened. But Calaya and her baby can choose whether or not they want to be on exhibit.
If you just can’t wait to see this sweet pair live at the zoo, here’s some B-roll footage of the two gorillas to tide you over!
Congratulations, Calaya, and welcome to the world, Moke!
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