When Lucie Štěpničková visited the Prague Zoo, she went to the gorilla enclosure to film and photograph baby gorilla Mobi. As a photographer, Lucie watched four-month-old Mobi and her mother, Duni. The two photogenic gorillas are heavily displayed on Lucie’s Instagram account and her YouTube channel. The mother and daughter are Western Lowland Gorillas, a critically endangered animal. On the day of Lucie’s visit, she caught the baby gorilla making hilarious faces for fans outside the enclosure.
Mobi and Duni are quite active in the enclosure. Lucie managed to capture both active and quiet moments with the pair. Her amazing photography and descriptions give us a peek into the lives of these incredible primates. The posts are in Lucie’s native language, Czechoslovakian, but Google Translate is adequate.
Mobi was born on January 2, 2024. Duni is a doting mother who takes her responsibilities seriously. She carries Mobi around the enclosure, nursing and cuddling with the baby gorilla. Mobi is already developing a unique “class clown” personality. You can watch some of their early interactions on this YouTube video. Lucie’s original video of Mobi making faces is on Instagram.
A baby gorilla weighs about 4.5 pounds at birth and typically remains in its mother’s arms for about six months. The mother will nurse her offspring for up to three years, but babies will begin trying leaves and other foods around two to three months of age. Foliage will become the majority of their sustenance by the time they reach six to seven months. Mobi will stay close to her mother until she is four. During this time, Duni will be busy teaching her how to be a gorilla and introducing her to the other gorillas in the communal pod.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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