Officials at the Calgary Zoo are concerned about a baby gorilla that was born at the facility 13 days ago and say she is not gaining as much weight as she should.

The female baby gorilla was born to 15-year-old Kioja on Wednesday, March 9 and zoo keepers say she is smaller than newborn gorillas should be.

“We know with human babies, there can often be road bumps in the beginning and we are being cautious with our newest addition to the gorilla troop,” said Dr. Sandie Black, Head Veterinarian, Calgary Zoo. “While we are extremely pleased with the bonding behaviours we have seen between mom and baby, we know the baby had a challenging start to life and is not developing as quickly as we had hoped.”

Mother and baby remain with the rest of the troop and keepers are trying to stay as hands-off as possible and say Kioja and the male silverback, Kakinga, have been very attentive in making sure the baby is cared for.

“Day by day we are carefully monitoring and assessing the baby, ensuring that it is getting nourishment and is staying hydrated,” said Dr. Black. “We will only step in if we feel that it is absolutely necessary, however we know that there are many steps to get that point, as Kioja has been such a great mom.”

Officials say a team had to intervene on Sunday as the baby appeared weak and they were able to feed her and give her fluids.

“Each day has been a little bit better, small improvements, but what I was really heartened to hear today is our lead keeper came back after a couple of days off and sees a marked difference in baby so for the better, so that’s all great news,” said Dr. Black.

Officials say the baby responded well and that they have not had to step in since.

“Right now baby is a lot stronger, she is gripping better with her hands, moving her legs more, nursing is more regular. We’re seeing milk at the nipple when she comes off and she’s starting to fill out a little bit. She still looks pretty spidery but coming along,” said Dr. Black.

Officials say they are hoping to restore routine for the troop so the TransAlta Rainforest Building will reopen to the public on Tuesday on limited hours from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The zoo’s head veterinarian will provide an update at 11:00.Watch the Livestream HERE.