{"id":392177,"date":"2026-01-07T01:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T01:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/392177\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T01:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T01:47:10","slug":"knoxville-zoos-mother-gorilla-teaching-her-baby-to-stand-is-so-full-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/392177\/","title":{"rendered":"Knoxville Zoo&#8217;s Mother Gorilla Teaching Her Baby To Stand Is So Full of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some moments don\u2019t need narration to make an impact. In a tender clip from Zoo Knoxville, a mother <a href=\"https:\/\/paradepets.com\/pet-news\/baby-gorilla-sweetly-helps-visitor-tie-their-shoes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:gorilla;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">gorilla<\/a> named Kumi gently supports her baby son as he figures out how to stand on his own two legs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">With steady hands and <a href=\"https:\/\/paradepets.com\/dogs\/calm-dog-breeds\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:calm;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">calm<\/a> patience, Kumi helps him balance, guiding him upright in a way that feels deeply familiar to anyone who\u2019s ever watched a parent teach a child something new. It\u2019s quiet, powerful, and filled with unmistakable love. Clips like these always bring tears to my eyes, and I&#8217;m sure I&#8217;m not alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the gorgeous clip shared by @<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@zooknoxville\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:zooknoxville;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">zooknoxville<\/a>, the caption reads, &#8220;New Year\u2019s resolution #1: learn to stand up for mom. If you need a little motivation\u2014or just a sweet moment\u2014to start your year, watch Kumi\u2019s baby boy learn to use his legs like a big gorilla.&#8221; People in the comments adore this beautiful mother-son duo, and one person said, &#8220;Her admiring her baby all the way down to her baby\u2019s wrist and then she kissed the baby\u2026 melts my heart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/paradepets.com\/pet-news\/gorilla-parents-proudly-show-off-new-baby\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Related: Gorilla Parents Proudly Show Off Their Adorable New Baby;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Related: Gorilla Parents Proudly Show Off Their Adorable New Baby<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Another person added, &#8220;The way they look at each other is beyond beautiful. Momma loves her baby, and the baby knows it. Their connection is undeniable.&#8221; Someone else replied, &#8220;You can see the love in her eyes for her baby.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The clip has sparked curiosity about the zoo\u2019s newest resident, and for good reason. Kumi\u2019s baby is the latest addition to the gorilla troop, and moments like this offer a rare glimpse into his early development.<\/p>\n<p>About Kumi&#8217;s Baby Gorilla<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to Zoo Knoxville&#8217;s website, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zooknoxville.org\/animals\/baby-western-lowland-gorilla\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kumi is the newest gorilla;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kumi is the newest gorilla<\/a> to join the troop. Petite and pretty, she is an adult female born and raised at the Bronx Zoo. Kumi moved here to breed with Bantu and grow the family. She is generally shy and avoids conflict, but enjoys interacting with keepers and training. On November 20, Zoo Knoxville announced the birth of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zooknoxville\/videos\/kumi-give-birth-to-new-baby-gorilla\/1164134492004197\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:healthy Western Lowland Gorilla;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">healthy Western Lowland Gorilla<\/a> infant to 27-year-old Kumi! The birth occurred on Wednesday morning around 8:15 a.m., and both Kumi and her newborn are doing well. This is Kumi\u2019s first offspring with Silverback Bantu and her first birth since joining Zoo Knoxville in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cEach gorilla birth brings new hope for the future of this critically endangered species. This new arrival is an important step forward for Western Lowland Gorillas,\u201d said President and CEO Bill Street.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kumi has access to her habitat with the gorilla troop, which means guests may have the opportunity to see her caring for her infant during their visit, depending on where she chooses to spend her time. The new baby has yet to be named.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emojipedia.org\/dog-face\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\ud83d\udc36;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\ud83d\udc36<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/newsletters\/parade-pets\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:SIGN UP to get \u201cpawsitivity\u201d delivered right to your inbox with inspiring &amp; entertaining stories about our furry &amp; feathered friends;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">SIGN UP to get \u201cpawsitivity\u201d delivered right to your inbox with inspiring &amp; entertaining stories about our furry &amp; feathered friends<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emojipedia.org\/paw-prints\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\ud83d\udc3e\ud83d\udc3e;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\ud83d\udc3e\ud83d\udc3e<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This story was originally published by <a href=\"https:\/\/paradepets.com\/pet-news\/knoxville-zoo-mother-gorilla-teaches-baby-to-stand\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Parade Pets;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Parade Pets<\/a> on Jan 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/paradepets.com\/pet-news\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Pet News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Pet News<\/a> section. Add Parade Pets as a <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=paradepets.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some moments don\u2019t need narration to make an impact. In a tender clip from Zoo Knoxville, a mother&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":392178,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,190204,201,190203],"class_list":{"0":"post-392177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-western-lowland-gorilla","10":"tag-wildlife","11":"tag-zoo-knoxville"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=392177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=392177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}