A baby western lowland gorilla has been born at Bristol Zoo Gardens.

The tiny gorilla arrived in the early hours of December 22 in the zoo’s gorilla house.

Mother Touni, 13, gave birth naturally overnight with father Jock and the rest of the troop nearby.

Keepers arrived at the zoo on Tuesday morning to find the little gorilla being cradled in its mother’s arms.

Touni previously gave birth to Ayana, who still lives at the zoo, in April 2017.

Nigel Simpson, head of animal collections at Bristol Zoological Society, said: “It is simply wonderful to see a new-born gorilla, they are so charismatic and such an iconic species.

“Touni is an excellent mother and she is taking very good care of her baby.

“All the early signs are positive and the baby looks to be strong and healthy. We will be keeping a very close eye on both mother and baby as these early hours and days are so important.

“This is also great news for Bristol Zoological Society, which operates both Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wild Place Project, as we are part of an internationally important breeding and conservation programme.”

The new baby was born four months after another gorilla, Kala, 10, gave birth to a male gorilla named Hasani.

Hasani is currently being hand-reared by keepers after Kala struggled to care for him.

Both births are important to help safeguard the future of western lowland gorillas, which are critically endangered in the wild.