Gorilla Infant Falls To Death While Playing With Siblings At Brazilian Zoo

A gorilla infant has fallen to his death while playing with his siblings at a Brazilian zoo.

The incident took place at Belo Horizonte Zoo in the city of Belo Horizonte, located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, on 26th December.

The zoo has the only breeding group of gorillas in Latin America.

The youngest of the Belo Horizonte Zoo’s gorillas born in September, 2021, pictured with mother Imbi, died after falling while playing with his brothers, on 26th December, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Cynthia Cipreste /CEN)

According to the news site G1, the male infant was born on 3rd September and was still unnamed by the zoo.

The infant, the fifth and youngest of the troop, reportedly died while playing with his siblings.

According to the Municipal Parks and Zoobotany Foundation (FPMZB), the infant, the son of gorillas Imbi and Leon, was riding on his sister Anaya’s back when the accident took place.

The youngest of the Belo Horizonte Zoo’s gorillas born in September, 2021, pictured, died after falling while playing with his brothers, on 26th December, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Fundacao de Parques Municipais e Zoobotanica/CEN)

Anaya, born in 2019, picked up her brother and put him on her back. They then scrambled up the rocks, but at some point the infant fell off and plummeted from a height of around 10 feet.

A zoo vet tried to save the animal, but he was not breathing and had no pulse, with a nosebleed and signs of head trauma.

The infant’s older brother Jahari took the little one to his mother Imbi so the troop could mourn its lost family member.

The youngest of the Belo Horizonte Zoo’s gorillas born in September, 2021, pictured with mother Imbi, died after falling while playing with his brothers, on 26th December, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (CEN)

The zoo will wait for guidance from officials at the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) to decide what to do with the infant’s body.

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