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Bristol Zoo launches public vote to name baby gorilla

Bristol Zoo Gardens Baby male western lowland gorilla at Bristol ZooBristol Zoo Gardens
The baby male western lowland gorilla is now two months old

Bristol Zoo has launched a public poll to name a baby gorilla born there - and revealed the animal is a boy.

The two-month-old western lowland gorilla was born on 19 August but has not been feeding well and keepers have made the decision to hand-rear him until February.

A shortlist of names has been drawn up for a poll on the Zoo’s Facebook page that will open from Thursday.

The names voters can choose between are Motuku, Hasani, Luango and Kidosi.

The baby was unable to get sufficient milk from his mother Kala so will now be bottle-fed day and night.

Bristol Zoo Gardens Baby male western lowland gorilla at Bristol ZooBristol Zoo Gardens
The Zoo's poll to name the newborn gorilla has been launched on their Facebook page

The hope is he will be strong enough to return to the group full-time in four months' time.

Mammals curator at Bristol Zoo Gardens, Lynsey Bugg, said: “Hand-rearing any animal is not a decision we take lightly as our preference is always for an animal to be reared naturally by its own mother.

“Sadly this doesn’t always happen and in this instance we decided that it was in the baby gorilla’s best interests for us to hand-rear him to ensure he had the best chance of survival.”

PA Media Baby gorilla Bristol ZooPA Media
The baby, seen his with his mother Kala, is being bottle fed by keepers

The poll will run until 30 October and the names the public are being asked to vote on are:

  • Motuku - means "Chief of the Village" in Bubi, a language in Equatorial Guinea
  • Hasani – means "Handsome" in Swahili
  • Luango – a place on the coast of Equatorial Guinea
  • Kidosi - a popular African name, particularly in Central Africa.