- Feb 5, 2002
- 167,618
- 56,868
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
Human doctors stepped in to perform a rare emergency c-section on a gorilla mom after she went into labor five weeks early.
The story is an incredible, breathtaking reminder of the similarities between these magnificent animals and ourselves.
At the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, a mother gorilla named Sekani showed signs of a pregnancy complication called pre-eclampsia that were identical to those seen in human mothers.
Zookeepers then called in a team of gynecologists who usually spend their time looking after pregnant women, to assist with the urgent delivery. Arriving at the zoo, they determined that, if it were a human woman in the same condition, an emergency C-section would be required to save the life of both infant and mother.
Alongside vets, they proceeded with the operation when Sekani was five weeks before term. The newborn required urgent resuscitation, and the event became the highlight of the team members’ respective careers.
Dr. Jamie Walker Erwin led the surgery with neonatologist Dr. Robert Ursprung and Dr. Dennis Occkiogrosso—none of whom had ever worked with primates or apes before.
The baby was named Jameela, which means “beautiful” in Swahili, but also after Dr. Jamie.
“Taking part in delivering Sekani’s infant via cesarean section was one of the highlights of my entire career as an OB-GYN,” Dr. Erwin said in a statement. “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.”
It is the third gorilla birth in the zoo’s 115-year history but the first gorilla to be born via cesarean section.
Continued below.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
The story is an incredible, breathtaking reminder of the similarities between these magnificent animals and ourselves.
At the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, a mother gorilla named Sekani showed signs of a pregnancy complication called pre-eclampsia that were identical to those seen in human mothers.
Zookeepers then called in a team of gynecologists who usually spend their time looking after pregnant women, to assist with the urgent delivery. Arriving at the zoo, they determined that, if it were a human woman in the same condition, an emergency C-section would be required to save the life of both infant and mother.
Alongside vets, they proceeded with the operation when Sekani was five weeks before term. The newborn required urgent resuscitation, and the event became the highlight of the team members’ respective careers.
Dr. Jamie Walker Erwin led the surgery with neonatologist Dr. Robert Ursprung and Dr. Dennis Occkiogrosso—none of whom had ever worked with primates or apes before.
The baby was named Jameela, which means “beautiful” in Swahili, but also after Dr. Jamie.
“Taking part in delivering Sekani’s infant via cesarean section was one of the highlights of my entire career as an OB-GYN,” Dr. Erwin said in a statement. “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.”
It is the third gorilla birth in the zoo’s 115-year history but the first gorilla to be born via cesarean section.
Continued below.
Doctors Called in for Rare Emergency C-Section on Gorilla in the Zoo–and the Baby Pics Are Incredible
The story is an incredible, breathtaking reminder of the similarities between these magnificent animals and ourselves.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
