Fort Worth Zoo welcomes male baby gorilla

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The Fort Worth Zoo has welcomed a newborn western lowland gorilla.

Zoo officials on Wednesday announced the birth of the male gorilla to first-time parents Gracie and Elmo. It’s also the first birth of a western lowland gorilla at the Fort Worth Zoo.

The gorilla was born last Saturday and has yet to be named. Zoo officials say the young gorilla will stay close to his mother while getting acclimated at the World of Primates exhibit.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers western lowland gorillas to be critically endangered due to poaching, habitat loss and disease in its native Republic of Congo.