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One of many latest members of the Calgary Zoo household was handled to a bash Thursday to have fun her first birthday.
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Lowland gorilla Eyare acquired particular snacks and different surprises to mark the event.
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“We’re very blissful to have fun Eyare’s first birthday,” says Carrie Coleman, Rainforest Habitat Supervisor on the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. “She made it via a 12 months and the troop is flourishing.”
Though the gorillas on the zoo obtain every day enrichment packages, employees members went “overboard” to mark Eyare’s big day with colourful actions and cupcakes made with gorilla-grade cookies, Coleman mentioned.
“We wish to be sure that it is a celebration for all members of the troop and that everybody has a very good time.”
Eyare was born to mom Dossi for the primary time on April 20, 2022. Jasiri, the zoo’s male silverback, fathered the baby.
Calgary Zoo contributes to the gorilla survival program
Jasiri was delivered to the Calgary Zoo in 2019 as a part of the gorilla Species Survival Plan, which sees zoos all over the world work collectively to broaden the gorilla gene pool.
Eyare’s beginning was the zoo’s first since Kimani, born in 2016, and the tenth of the critically endangered species born on the facility.
Wild gorilla populations have declined by 80 p.c over the previous three a long time because of poaching and habitat destruction, largely for the mineral coltan, which is utilized in cellphone manufacturing.
“This beginning represents essential genetic variety inside the Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Program,” mentioned an announcement issued by the zoo on the time of Eyare’s beginning. “As a critically endangered species, a wholesome inhabitants in human care serves as an insurance coverage inhabitants for gorilla survival sooner or later.”
