The Detroit Zoo shares that Bandia is the mother of the first gorilla born at the Detroit Zoo in their 96-year history:
First-time mom Bandia brought her beautiful baby into the world at approximately 2 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. The baby is healthy and thriving under her attentive care. Our dedicated animal care team is ensuring that Bandia is receiving the best care during this time and that critical developmental milestones are being observed. Father Mshindi and the rest of the gorillas received extra “baby training” in anticipation of the birth. They are currently keeping their distance but seem very curious about the new addition to the troop.
They share that the Great Apes building & the outdoor gorilla habitat are temporarily closed, but the outdoor chimpanzee habitat will remain open. Follow them on Facebook & at detroitzoo.org for updates!
Michigan in Pictures 
It was fascinating to learn that before the birth the “baby training” you mentioned in your post was animal trainers used a stuffed animal (baby gorilla) to teach Bandia and the others in this troop of gorillas how to pick up, cradle and otherwise handle the baby. I would think nursing it would come natural. I always like seeing how the primates interact with their young … must’ve been all those “National Geographic” specials I watched and their magazine my parents subscribed to for years.
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Maybe for the males? Few of them would have seen an actual baby gorilla
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I think the story on WWJ said the mom was given instructions by using the stuffed toy gorilla ahead of time – that surprised me as I think taking care of her baby would be natural, not learned.
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