Human doctors stepped in to perform a rare emergency C-section on a gorilla after she went into labor five weeks earlier.
Pregnant mother Sekani showed signs of preeclampsia identical to those of human mothers: she held her head as if she had an extreme headache.
Zookeepers in Fort Worth, Texas, called in a team of gynecologists who normally spend their time caring for pregnant women to help with the urgent delivery.
Together with veterinarians, they performed a rare emergency cesarean delivery five weeks early, saving the lives of the mother and baby gorilla, now named Jameela, on January 5.
Doctors accustomed to caring for premature babies struggled to resuscitate the little one, just as they would with premature babies.
Human doctors stepped in to perform a rare emergency C-section on a gorilla after she went into labor five weeks earlier
Doctors accustomed to caring for premature babies struggled to resuscitate the little one, just as they would with premature babies.
And the photos show the little gorilla being cared for in environments almost identical to those of a human baby.
After the birth, Sekani has struggled to bond and care for the newborn female, who is being cared for 24 hours a day by zookeepers.
Experts hope that another female gorilla, Gracie, could be a possible surrogate mother for the baby.
It is the third gorilla birth in the zoo’s 115-year history, but the first gorilla to be born by cesarean section.
Dr. Jamie Walker Erwin led the surgery along with neonatologist Dr. Robert Ursprung and Dr. Dennis Occkiogrosso, all more accustomed to human patients than animals.
The baby was named Jameela, partly in honor of Jamie.
Dr Erwin said: ‘Participating in Sekani’s delivery by caesarean section was one of the highlights of my entire career as an obstetrician-gynecologist.
‘It is an honor and a privilege to help with the care of this endangered species and share my experience with the veterinary staff at the Fort Worth Zoo.
“I was surprised how Sekani’s anatomy matched that of my human patients.”
The baby required immediate intervention and Dr. Ursprung assisted the Fort Worth Zoo team with resuscitation and stabilization, respiratory support and x-rays.
The baby required immediate intervention and Dr. Ursprung assisted the Fort Worth Zoo team with resuscitation and stabilization, respiratory support and x-rays.
Primate keepers at the Fort Worth Zoo, along with veterinary and nutrition staff, began caring for and feeding the little gorilla around the clock while Sekani recovered.
It is the third gorilla birth in the zoo’s 115-year history, but the first gorilla to be born by cesarean section.
“It was amazing how similar this mother-child pairing was compared to what I see in the hospital for babies born under similar circumstances,” Dr. Ursprung said.
“The baby required critical respiratory support for a few hours after delivery, but as he transitioned to life outside the womb, he stabilized quite well.
‘It had many typical characteristics of a slightly premature human baby.
‘The zoo care team was amazing. “It was amazing to observe their ability to adapt to the care needs of a medically fragile baby.”
Primate keepers at the Fort Worth Zoo, along with veterinary and nutrition staff, began caring for and feeding the little gorilla around the clock while Sekani recovered.
Despite repeated attempts to reunite the mother and baby, Sekani showed little interest in caring for her baby, they said.
Zoo experts suspect that Sekani never experienced the necessary hormonal signals that occur during natural, full-term birth.
After two weeks and several failed reunification attempts, staff began training Gracie, a 24-year-old gorilla, to become a surrogate mother.
Gracie has two children of her own, including one-year-old Bruno, and is already trained to “present” her baby to caregivers for an eye exam.
Adorable photos show researchers bottle training Jameela, who was born five weeks early via C-section.
Zookeepers in Fort Worth, Texas, called in a team of gynecologists who normally spend their time caring for pregnant women to help with the urgent delivery.
Jameela’s birth has delighted animal lovers on social media, with many flocking to the zoo’s Instagram this week.
In response to a post about his birth, one user wrote: ‘Thank you so much for the amazing job everyone at the Fort Worth Zoo does!! They make me cry with joy seeing this beautiful girl’
Another added: ‘Look at that little face! Grow strong, baby.’
And one commented: ‘My daughter was premature, emergency cesarean section too, because I had preeclampsia!
‘It is absolutely mind-blowing that the same procedures and complications can be performed or found in gorillas!’