A plethora of baby primates at the L.A. Zoo

Dec. 18, 2025 3 AM PT

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The L.A. Zoo recently welcomed five baby great apes: three chimps, one orangutan and a gorilla.

The breeding process can be lengthy and includes tactics like taking primates off birth control and training them to be comfortable with ultrasounds.

@bexcastillo stopped by to learn more about the “baby boom.”

California

Rebecca Castillo

Rebecca Castillo is a content creator for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was a special projects lead for the Times’ High School Insider and other Public Affairs programs. A Southern California native, she is an alumna of Swarthmore College and USC. In her free time, you can find her hanging out at the Silver Lake Reservoir, drinking boba and exploring the city on foot.

Andrea Flores

Andrea Flores is a reporter with De Los covering the many contours of Latinidad for the Los Angeles Times. She has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and is originally from Waukegan, Ill.