First Baby Gorilla In 9 Years Due At National Zoo

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Zoo is eagerly preparing for the birth of its first baby gorilla in nine years. Calaya, the zoo's western lowland gorilla, is expected to give birth to her first baby any minute.

Calaya was first brought to D.C. in 2015 from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. The 15-year-old gorilla became pregnant in August, the zoo announced. Zookeepers determined she was expecting by using a human pregnancy test.

Zookeeper Melba Brown has worked diligently to prepare Calaya for her first baby. She shows Calaya photos of gorillas caring for their offspring, and even hid an audio device that mimics gorilla sounds inside of a stuffed animal gorilla, according to a news release from the zoo.

“So she knows what it means to kiss her baby, to touch her baby, and to feed her baby,” Brown told The Washington Post. “Let’s say she gives birth and she leaves it alone for an extended period of time,” Brown said. “I can potentially say, ‘Calaya, pick up your baby,’ or ‘Calaya, feed your baby,’ or ‘Bring it over to me.’ ”

Gorillas mate about once a month, zookeepers said. Calaya mated with a 25-year-old "silverback" gorilla named Baraka within an hour of meeting him, The Washington Post reports.

“It was love at first sight,” Brown said.

Calaya's child will be Baraka's first surviving offspring, zoo officials said.

“The first time we were able to see the fetus on the monitor in November, it was incredible!" Brown said in a statement from the zoo. "We could see a side view of the body, and he or she was moving around more than I expected."

The mother-to-be weighs about 205 pounds, while the father weighs around 425 pounds. The baby is expected to weigh about four or five pounds.

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Photo of Calaya via the National Zoo