Baby Gorilla Is Born at the San Diego Zoo

Emily Newton – Writer 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 32.8% of all births in the United States are by cesarean section (C-section). While C-sections are no rarity among human births, they are rare among other animal species. Amazingly, on March 12, 2013 the San Diego Zoo performed its first C-section birth on a gorilla!

Imani, an 18 year old gorilla, endured 12 hours of labor before the veterinarians decided to perform the surgery. The San Diego Zoo’s associate director of veterinary services, Nadine Lamberski, stated “The C-section was the right decision…we think the health of the fetus would have been compromised if we [had] delayed surgery any longer.”

Similarly to humans, a gorilla’s gestation period is between 8.3 and 9 months, but with shorter labor. Zoo spokeswoman, Christina Simmons, (regarding Imani’s 12 hour labor) said, “with gorillas, that’s very unusual. Four hours is long for them.”

With the help of neonatal specialists from the University of California San Diego Medical Center, the veterinarians were able to successfully perform a C-section and deliver a full term 4.6 pound baby gorilla. 2 days after birth, however, x-rays confirmed a collapsed lung and the baby gorilla was placed under anesthesia. A mucus plug was removed and the lung immediately re-inflated. Unfortunately, four days later on March 18, the baby was diagnosed with pneumonia and received oxygen treatments. Finally, after a rough first few days, on March 21, 2014, the baby was released from veterinary care.

The baby gorilla remains under close observation in her new room, an enclosed see-through barrier near the gorilla exhibit, to provide better care after her rough, first few weeks. This enclosed, see-through room is very helpful in allowing veterinarians to observe the baby gorilla, as well as allowing the other gorillas to become familiar with her, since gorillas must first become visually familiar with the baby before any physical introduction. Everyone remains hopeful that the strong, gripped, new baby girl will soon be welcomed by and able to join the other 8 gorillas in the park.

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus.