Nature
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In a 126-year first for Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, a gorilla baby has come into the world via C-section. The operation was performed by doctors that usually work on humans, and they successfully delivered a 2.5-kilogram (5.4-pound) baby boy to gorilla mom Olympia.
“Thanks to the teamwork of the human doctors, veterinarians, and gorilla care team, Olympia and her baby are in good health and doing well,” said Martin Ramirez at Woodland Park Zoo in a statement. “Given the positive indicators so far, we remain optimistic but are also cautious because the situation is very fluid and fragile.”
A very precious pregnancy
Olympia is a western lowland gorilla, which have the memorable species name Gorilla gorilla gorilla. They are considered critically endangered by the IUCN, threatened by poaching and disease that have seen their numbers drop by over 60 percent in the last 20 to 25 years. That means every baby born is very precious to the species.
During routine monitoring of her pregnancy, an ultrasound revealed complications. Medical teams made the critical decision to anesthetize Olympia to more closely examine the development of her pregnancy, at which point they saw indications of a non-productive labor.
“This meant that Olympia would not be able to deliver her baby without our help,” explained veterinarian Tim Storms at Woodland Park Zoo. “So we made a critical decision to deliver the baby via cesarean section.”
Performing a gorilla C-section
Less than a dozen gorilla C-sections have ever been performed globally. Given anesthesia can even be dangerous during animal dentistry, the decision to perform such a surgery isn’t made lightly. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced team of doctors, Olympia survived the procedure and woke up a new mom.
“We had a highly skilled and compassionate volunteer obstetrical team that joined our veterinary team to perform the surgery and deliver a healthy baby boy,” said Storms. “We’re extremely grateful that this medical team provided their expertise for Olympia and her baby and performed this rare surgical procedure.”
“I also feel very fortunate to work with our dedicated and talented gorilla caretakers who skillfully trained Olympia to voluntarily participate in these ultrasound exams. None of this advanced care would be possible without them.”
A helping hand
Humans weren’t the only species to provide Olympia with help. Fellow gorilla Jamani, who had recently become a mother herself, helped care for Olympia’s newborn when the pair were reunited with the troop.
The zoo’s gorilla moms-to-be are trained to use baby dolls to bring their offspring to a mesh area where staff can provide supplemental bottle feeding if needed. Jamani dutifully carried both babies over to the zoo staff.
“We weren’t surprised and knew there was a possibility that Jamani would pick up Olympia’s baby,” said Arden Robert at Woodland Park Zoo. “Last night Jamani nursed Olympia's baby several times.”
Olympia continues to recover, and the teams will keep a close eye on her health and interactions with her new baby boy. His arrival brings Woodland Park Zoo’s resident western lowland gorillas to a total of 13 living across two separate family groups.
It has a long and successful breeding program working in conjunction with the AZA Species Survival Plan, which aims to coordinate the pairing of captive animals to support species’ genetic diversity. A wee 2.5 kg bundle of gorilla might not be much to hold, but he carries great weight for the future of the species.
