The sudden warm up has made the Fort Worth Zoo a hot ticket. Right now the zoo is in the middle of a baby boom and a baby gorilla is the star. As NBC 5’s Scott Gordon reports, everybody wants to get a glimpse of Bruno.
There are plenty of new attractions at the Fort Worth Zoo. A baby elephant. Even two new little giraffes.
But it's Bruno, the 2-month-old gorilla, that's hogging most of the attention.
Visitors are impressed by the close bond between Bruno and his mom, Gracie, who literally won't let go of him.
“I’ve never seen a baby (gorilla),” said 11-year-old Eziquiel Vernis. “They're so cute and it's wonderful how they treat them like they're almost humans, wrapping them, even the way they're holding them. They're just so cute."
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Zookeeper Angie Holmes is in charge of the gorilla exhibit.
"I love seeing the guests light up when they see any of the animals but especially Bruno,” Holmes said. "Gracie is a wonderful mother. She's taken care of him from the get-go. She holds him, she feeds him, she cleans him. The other animals can come up to him but right now she's not letting anyone else hold him or touch him."
That includes his brother Gus, who's now 7, and even his father Elmo -- all 420 pounds of him.
Bruno is the second Western Lowlands gorilla born in the history of the Fort Worth Zoo.
He was born at 3 a.m. on Nov. 6, weighing in at 5 to 7 pounds.
Bruno has gained a few pounds since.
But zookeepers can't get an exact weight because Gracie won't allow it.
Still, they're watching his growth closely.
"He has four teeth at the moment so he's not able to eat solids,” Holmes said. “Two on top and two on the bottom."
So for now, Bruno and his mother remain inseparable. And like all babies, Bruno is just taking it all in -- and allowing us all to share the experience.
