Asheboro, N.C. — A 12-year-old gorilla at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro gave birth Saturday morning to a healthy male infant, according to a news release.

The birth is only the second in the zoo's history. Its first baby gorilla, Kwanza, was born in March 1989.

The baby born Saturday is strong and active, zookeepers said. Its mother, Jamani, came to the N.C. Zoo from the San Diego Zoo in January 2010.

Another female gorilla, 16-year-old Olympia, is also pregnant. That birth is expected in early November.

Zoo officials said there have been just four successful gorilla births out of eight pregnancies in 2011 and 2012 at the 52 zoos accredited by the U.S-based Association of Zoos & Aquariums.