--- description: Gorilla at Prague Zoo gives birth unexpectedly. title: Zoo Didn't Know Gorilla Was Pregnant Until She Gave Birth image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2430e4d3397131cb/698890923c1639632f45cfd2/gorilla-baby-prague-zoo.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Zoo Didn't Know Gorilla Was Pregnant Until She Gave Birth  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Apr 25, 2016 9:35 PM CUT  Petr David Josek—AP  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Apr 25, 2016 9:35 PM CUT The Prague Zoo had no idea its female gorilla was pregnant until she gave birth on Saturday. Zoo officials are calling the newborn a “miracle” because the 24-year-old Shinda previously had trouble conceiving. The zoo claims that her keepers did not notice she was pregnant because of “her appetite.” The baby does not have a name yet, and its gender is still unknown. [The Associated Press reports](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2a6014720ee14672be82dec95a6cc374/gorilla-gives-birth-unexpectedly-prague-zoo "undefined") that visitors have already been able to see the mother and her baby. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4307139/gorilla-shinda-baby-prague-czech-republic-zoo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4307139/gorilla-shinda-baby-prague-czech-republic-zoo/"},"headline":"Zoo Didn't Know Gorilla Was Pregnant Until She Gave Birth","datePublished":"2016-04-25T21:35:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:31:50.421Z","description":"Here's why","url":"https://time.com/4307139/gorilla-shinda-baby-prague-czech-republic-zoo/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2430e4d3397131cb/698890923c1639632f45cfd2/gorilla-baby-prague-zoo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2430e4d3397131cb/698890923c1639632f45cfd2/gorilla-baby-prague-zoo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"gorilla-baby-prague-zoo","caption":"","creditText":"Petr David Josek—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4307139/gorilla-shinda-baby-prague-czech-republic-zoo/","name":"Zoo Didn't Know Gorilla Was Pregnant Until She Gave Birth"}}]}] ```