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Zoo Visitors Witness Gorilla Birth In Exhibit

90.5 WESA
A baby gorilla was born at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on Friday.

Visitors at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium got a surprise when they witnessed a gorilla giving birth in the exhibit area yesterday.

Moka, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's 22-year-old Western lowland gorilla, gave birth to her third baby Friday morning.

The zoo says Moka is very attentive and has been encouraging her baby to nurse.

Brandi Bella-Shaw said she was at the gorilla exhibit with her husband, teenage son and his girlfriend when Moka emerged from behind a wall, carrying the baby. She said the umbilical cord was still attached and it was very apparent Moka had just given birth.

She said "it was amazing to see" and Moka "was so nurturing."

Bella-Shaw said everyone in her group was "amazed by the sight."

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