A baby gorilla was delivered early via an emergency cesarean section at the Forth Worth Zoo last month after her mother faced “life-threatening complications,” the zoo announced.
The baby — named Jameela, which means “beautiful” in Swahili — weighed just 3 pounds and 1 ounce when she was born four-to-six weeks early Jan. 5, the Fort Worth Zoo said in a series of Facebook updates. Her mom has made a full recovery.
The zoo said, the animal’s mom, Sekani, was showing signs of preeclampsia, which it described as “a serious blood-pressure condition that can occur during pregnancy in both humans and primates.”
After zoo staff and veterinarians consulted with human experts, including a local obstetrician and neonatologist, the team decided the emergency c-section would give both Jameela and Sekani the greatest chance at life.
“Primates are humans’ closest living relatives in the animal kingdom with many biological similarities,” the zoo said on Facebook. “Our veterinary team has consulted with physicians for humans in the past to seek advice on particular cases involving primates.”
The zoo worked with Jamie Walker Erwin, M.D., it said, a doctor board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology who has consulted for the zoo for years. Erwin; neonatologist Robert Ursprung, M.D.; Dennis Occkiogrosso, CRNA; and other “supporting experts” helped safely deliver Jameela and provide care.
“Taking part in delivering Sekani’s infant via cesarean section was one of the highlights of my entire career as an OB-GYN,” Erwin said, according to the zoo. “It is an honor and privilege to assist with care for this endangered species.”
Erwin added that she was “amazed at how Sekani’s anatomy matched that of my human patients.”
Jameela is the third gorilla to be born at the Fort Worth Zoo in its 115-year history and the first born by c-section, the zoo said. She is 33-year-old Sekani’s fourth baby.
Prior to the emergency c-section, the zoo said Sekani was having a normal pregnancy and…
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