Pittsburgh zoo says gorilla may be expecting

PITTSBURGH — Officials at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium say a pregnancy test suggests their female gorilla is pregnant, though they must monitor the animal's behavior and weight to confirm that.

Karen Vacco, the zoo's assistant curator of mammals, says officials are also sure that Moka, the female, has mated with a male gorilla though Vacco says, "that does not always result in pregnancy."

Vacco says gorilla gestation is typically eight months, but the mortality rate is 40 percent for infant gorillas during their first several months.

Moka's first pregnancy resulted in a birth last year, but that baby male gorilla die after four months. Vacco says various tests have failed to pinpoint the baby gorilla's cause of death.

WPXI