GORILLA IN NEW ORLEANS ZOO EXPECTING 1ST BABY

One of the critically endangered gorillas in New Orleans’ zoo is expecting her first baby, and already is being trained with a “doll” to hold her future offspring.

Thirteen-year-old Tumani’s training “doll” doesn’t look anything like a gorilla because a stuffed toy could easily be torn apart, the Audubon Zoo’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Robert Mclean, said. Instead, a rugged section of canvas firehose tubing has been woven roughly to the proportions and weight of a 4-pound newborn gorilla.

“I haven’t seen it myself,” Mclean said. “Apparently it’s pretty ugly, but it does the job.”

Tumani’s pregnancy “is a huge deal and we want to share that news with the public. It seems to be going well,” Mclean said.

The due date is anywhere between midjuly and Aug. 20, based on her mating.

GERALD HERBERT AP Tumani, a 13-year-old western lowland gorilla, is pregnant.