Press
A pregnant gorilla mother has been diagnosed with a serious illness. Doctors therefore had to deliver the baby with a cesarean section.
Fort Worth – The Fort Worth Zoo speaks of a historical story when baby gorilla Jameela is born. The lives of mother and daughter were at stake. Sad aftermath: After the birth, mother Sekani apparently shows no interest in the gorilla girl Jameela.
Baby gorilla is born at the Fort Worth Zoo – caesarean section was necessary
In the Fort Worth Zoo's 115-year history, there have only been two births of baby gorillas. Jameela was now the third. Since the mother, Sekani, was diagnosed with preeclampsia (blood pressure problems during pregnancy), the baby had to be delivered by cesarean section. Preeclampsia can also occur in humans, but without treatment it is usually fatal in primates and humans MSD manual writes. A lion cub died shortly after birth in Cologne Zoo at the beginning of the year.
To save mother and baby, a cesarean section was necessary and was carried out by local obstetricians and neonatologists. The zoo was supported by doctors who specialize in humans, as primates differ little biologically from humans. One of the doctors was Dr. Jamie Erwin, who has supported the Fort Worth Zoo since 2016. She said that the birth of Jameela was one of the highlights of her career so far. “It is an honor and privilege to help care for this endangered species and share my expertise with the Fort Worth Zoo’s veterinary staff.”
After the baby gorilla was born, the little monkey had to be artificially ventilated for hours. Since then, nurses have been caring for the infant, who was born four to six weeks prematurely. “The baby required vital respiratory support for several hours after delivery. But it quickly stabilized quite well. “She had so many characteristics that are typical of a slightly premature human baby,” said neonatologist Dr. Robert Origin, who also helped with the birth. A human birth caused a stir at the end of 2023, a five kilo baby was born there.
Mother Sekani has so far shown no interest in the gorilla's premature baby Jameela
After mother Sekani and her baby Jameela got better, primate keepers at the Fort Worth Zoo tried to reunite them. However, Sekani showed little interest in taking care of her baby. Those responsible are puzzling over the exact reason for this. It is assumed that the mother never received the necessary hormonal signals that would have occurred during a natural birth. This probably led to a lack of interest in the baby.
While baby gorilla Jameela continues to receive ongoing care, she stays close to the other gorillas to get to know their smells, sounds and sights. After the reunification with mother Sekani failed again, the 24-year-old gorilla Gracie was chosen as Jameela's surrogate mother. She has two offspring of her own, including one-year-old Bruno. Staff are optimistic that Gracie will accept the preemie gorilla. (approx)
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