As every mother knows, a hungry baby is very demanding. As her infant grows - and milk teeth erupt! - breast-feeding can be uncomfortable and solid food begins to supplement and eventually replace milk. #GorillaMums face the same challenge to wean their growing child, even if the hungry toddler still wants to comfort-feed in Mum's arms. Weaning is a slow gradual process that may continue for a couple of years, roughly between one and three years. What we glimpse in this video is a tiny part of that process - a mountain gorilla mother resisting her infant who burrows under her arm to feed, only to be placated with a cuddle, then hoisted up and turned over to be groomed. Meanwhile a couple of older juveniles nearby begin a bit of rough-house play - just an intimate minute of gorilla family life in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, which forms my 82nd #BrightenYourDay video to lift spirits in the #Covid19 #lockdown (which has also locked down primate tourism as a precaution against the pandemic reaching already endangered species of apes).
For a list of organisations helping gorillas, see https://4apes.com/species/gorilla