By Emma Dunn
Human doctors stepped in to perform a rare emergency c-section on a gorilla mom after she went into labor five weeks early.
Pregnant mom Sekani showed signs of pre-eclampsia identical to human mothers – holding her head as if she had an extreme headache.
Zookeepers at Fort Worth Zoo, Texas, called in a team of obstetricians who usually spend their time looking after pregnant women, to assist with the urgent delivery.
Alongside vets, they performed a rare emergency c-section birth, five weeks early – saving the life of the mom and baby gorilla – now called Jameela – on January 5.
Doctors used to caring for premature babies were on hand to resuscitate the little one – just like they would for babies born early.
And photos show the little gorilla being looked after in settings nearly identical to a human baby.
Following the birth, Sekani has struggled to bond and care for the female newborn, which is being given round-the-clock care by zookeepers.
Experts hope another female gorilla, Gracie, may be a possible surrogate for the baby.
It is the third gorilla birth in the zoo’s 115-year history but the first gorilla to be born via cesarean section.
Dr. Jamie Walker Erwin led the surgery with neonatologist Dr. Robert Ursprung and Dr. Dennis Occkiogrosso – all more used to human patients than animal ones.
The baby was named Jameela – in part after Jamie.
Dr. Erwin said: “Taking part in delivering Sekani’s infant via cesarean section was one of the highlights of my entire career as an OB-GYN.
“It is an honor and privilege to assist with care for this endangered species and to share my expertise with the veterinary staff at the Fort Worth Zoo.
“I was amazed at how Sekani’s anatomy matched that of my human patients.”
The infant required immediate intervention and Dr. Ursprung assisted the Fort Worth Zoo team with resuscitation and stabilization, respiratory support, and radiographs.
“It was incredible how similar this mother-infant pair was compared to what I see in the hospital for babies born under similar circumstances,” said Dr. Ursprung.
“The baby needed critical respiratory support for a few hours post-delivery, but as she transitioned to life outside the womb, she stabilized quite nicely.
“She had so many features typical of a slightly premature human baby.
“The zoo’s care team was incredible. Their ability to adapt to the care needs of a medically fragile infant was amazing to watch.”
Fort Worth Zoo primate keepers, along with veterinary and nutrition staff, began around-the-clock care and feeding of the little gorilla 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 Sekani never experienced the necessary hormonal cues that come during natural and full-term birth.
After two weeks and several unsuccessful reunification attempts, staff started to train 24-year-old female gorilla Gracie to become a surrogate mother.
Gracie has two offspring of her own, including one-year-old Bruno and is already trained to “present” her baby up to keepers for a visual examination.
The Fort Worth Zoo team named the baby Jameela – which means “beautiful” in Swahili but is also a nod to Dr. Jamie Erwin.
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