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Understanding Gorilla Infant Care and Behavior – Do They Harm Their Young?

Gorillas do not eat their babies; however, they occasionally practice infanticide.

This typically occurs when a female with a young offspring moves to another group.

In such cases, the dominating silverback of the group may kill the young baby gorilla. Alternatively, if another silverback comes to dominate the group, they may also kill the young baby gorillas.

This behavior is more common with male baby gorillas, as the silverbacks may feel insecure and fear that the young males could grow up and challenge their dominance.

Gorillas have a strong bond with their young ones. Mothers take great care of and nurture their babies with breast milk. The baby gorilla often clings to its mother’s back or chest and sleeps in the mother’s nest until the age of 3-4 years.

At that point, they may start sleeping in their own nest but remain close to their mother’s nest.

Silverbacks also play a crucial role in taking care of their groups. They protect the group from any potential harm, and if a female gorilla dies, the silverback will step in to care for the baby gorilla, even allowing it to share their nest.

Baby gorillas have a strong affinity for the group leader, often including the silverback in their games.

Silverbacks are known to protect their young ones, and they may remove snares set by poachers using their canine teeth.

Gorillas primarily feed on plant material, with approximately 86% of their diet composed of leaves, stems, pith, bark, bamboo shoots, roots, fruits, and more.

Gorillas consume about 142 species of plants found in their natural habitat. They rarely drink water because a significant portion of their diet contains moisture.

Occasionally, gorillas supplement their diet with insects, termites, and ants.

A male silverback can consume up to approximately 30 kilograms of food in a day, while a female can eat up to 20 kilograms of food daily. In conclusion, gorillas do not eat their babies.

You may chance and see a baby gorilla on your gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Rwanda or Congo.



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