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Baby Gorilla Recovering After 'Family Skirmish' Injury

by Stephanie CrosbyThe new baby gorilla at the Louisville Zoo is under 24-hour watch by zookeepers after losing her left leg below the knee in what keepers are calling a family altercation.Original reports yesterday said the baby had been injured by its father, Mshindi. But today Zoo Director John Walczak says there were two other adult gorillas in the area, the baby’s mother, Mia Moja, and another adult – and no one knows what happened.“When these skirmishes such as this happen, it happens in the blink of en eye, it might take less than a quick minute for it all to happen," says Walczak. "The male might be involved, but like our situation, we’re still trying to determine the role of the male, the aunt and the mom in this interaction.”Walczak says they’ve been consulting with a gorilla behavior specialist who says incidents like this are rare, but they have happened before both in the wild and in captivity. All three adults are currently separated and the baby is with her mother.The unnamed infant is still considered in critical condition, but has shown signs of improvement.