KNOXVILLE — Fans of gorillas, lovers of babies and connoisseurs of cute will likely get little work done at their computers starting Monday afternoon.
A webcam showing the daily activities of the Knoxville Zoo gorilla babies went live at noon today.
A look at the babies and their gorilla family can be seen through the websites www.knoxnews.com and www.wbir.com in a media partnership with each other and the zoo.
The McGaha Gorilla Cam features real-time views of the park’s natural habitat Gorilla Valley courtyard. Nearly 4-month-old gorilla babies Obi and Ubuntu live there with their mothers, Hope and Machi, father Bantu and third female adult Kowali.
The camera will be live from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily with a live view into the habitat courtyard where the gorillas often reside. One good time to see the primates is likely to be at their daily 10 a.m. breakfast.
Obi, a female, and Ubuntu, a male, are the first gorillas born at the Knoxville Zoo, and they have been a big attraction to visitors since their births this spring. As they grow, the pair are becoming more independent. They are learning to crawl, interact and play with each other.
McGaha Electric Company installed the fiber cable to Gorilla Valley, giving the zoo the capability to provide high-definition video. The News Sentinel and WBIR provide the streaming capacity to take the gorillas to the world via the Internet.
“The response to the first gorillas ever born in Knoxville has been overwhelming, and we are very excited to be able to share them with everyone through the McGaha Gorilla Cam,” said Knoxville Zoo President and CEO Lisa New. “Although seeing them in person is an absolute must, this makes it possible for everyone to watch them grow up even when you can’t physically be at the zoo.”
