Tissues at the ready! David Attenborough captures tear-jerking moment between mother gorilla and her newborn baby in BBC documentary Parenthood

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Beloved broadcaster David Attenborough has captured a tender moment between a gorilla mother and her newborn baby in a new BBC documentary.
The biologist still appears on TV screens at the impressive age of 99, and his new five-part series, aptly named Parenthood, narrates the stories of animals raising their young.
In a tear-jerking clip, Attenborough's team captured the wonderful moment a gorilla mother clutches her sleeping newborn to her chest, as he twitches fitfully in his slumber.
The clip shows a female western lowland gorilla with her moments-old baby in a breathtaking landscape of green jungle.
Narrating, Sir David says: 'For his mother, the arrival of her young baby is the start of a new chapter in her adult life - parenthood.
'Her journey will be challenging, full of excitement, uncertainty and complete commitment.
The clip shows a female western lowland gorilla with her moments-old baby in a breathtaking landscape of green jungle
'There will be mistakes - there always are. But success for her, and indeed for all parents, has perhaps the greatest of consequences, it ensures the future of life on our planet.'
Sir David's admirable narration points subtly to the connection humans have with the animal kingdom, sharing with them the primal and deeply moving experience of nurturing new life.
The new docu-series will highlight how parenting in the wild can be 'a high-stakes game in which some animal parents must come up with extraordinary strategies to give their young a head start.'
Filmed over three years and spanning six continents, fans have been offered a glimpse of the upcoming series.
The camera shows close-ups of the baby's tiny hands and feet, and even the moment where his legs slip as he sleepily holds on to his mother.
To ease the process, the mother gorilla then rolls onto the ground and snuggles her baby close to her chest.
Finally, viewers are shown the baby's large, curious eyes as he wakes up and gazes towards the camera in wonder.
Parenthood has promised watchers 'astonishing, never-before-seen animal behaviours in stunning ultra high definition, from the remote jungles of Bhutan to the grasslands of Botswana.'
The rarest animal filmed in the making of the project is the endangered Iberian Lynx, found in central Spain.
The impressive series follows the May 2025 release of yet another Attenborough film titled Ocean: With David Attenborough.
Ocean: With David Attenborough has grossed £2,526,000 at the global box office - the most of any documentary in 2025.
The new production, which was released on the British icon's 99th birthday on May 8, has captivated audiences across the globe.
Dubbed the 'greatest message he's ever told', the movie sees Sir David delve further than ever before into 'the most important place on earth' - its oceans.
The environmentalist argues that our seas are at a crossroads after being damaged by pollution and bottom trawling, but Sir David affirms that 'they can bounce back'.
And the film has been as popular as its producers anticipated, grossing £1.16million in the UK and Ireland and a staggering £2.5million globally.
The film has broken into the top 25 grossing theatrically released documentaries of all time.
The camera shows close-ups of the baby's tiny hands and feet, and even the moment where his legs slip as he sleepily holds on to his mother
Following its success, directors Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield said: 'We're incredible proud to see Ocean: With David Attenborough embraced by audiences worldwide and making box office history.
'This film was created for the big screen - to immerse viewers in the beauty and fragility of our ocean as never seen before seen - and its success shows this timely story resonates.
'As the UN Ocean Conference approaches, we hope the film and David Attenborough's powerful message continue to inspire global conversation and action for the ocean.'
Produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet studios, the film displays never-seen-before footage of the damage that bottom trawling - a common fishing practice around the world - has done to the seabed.
The footage shows how the chain that trawlers drag behind them scours the seafloor, forcing the creatures it disturbs into the net behind.
The process also releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the sea, something which contributes to global warming.