Premature Baby Gorilla Delivered at Fort Worth Zoo in Emergency C-Section, Mom Makes 'Full Recovery'

After mom Sekani showed signs of a blood-pressure condition, zoo staff and veterinarians gave baby Jameela "the best opportunity for survival"

A baby gorilla was born four to six weeks early at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas after her mother faced life-threatening pregnancy complications,

According to a Valentine's Day statement from the Fort Worth Zoo, Jameela, the infant gorilla, was born on Jan. 5 via an emergency c-section performed by the zoo's veterinary team with the assistance of "human medical specialists."

The baby gorilla first weighed 3 pounds and 1 ounce at birth but now weighs over 5 pounds thanks to the continued care of zoo keepers.

Jameela's mother, Sekani, has "made a full recovery" since the procedure.

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The Fort Worth Zoo decided to operate after the 33-year-old gorilla mother started showing signs of a life-threatening blood pressure condition called preeclampsia before her due date, per the zoo's website.

After consulting a local obstetrician and neonatologist, zoo staff and veterinarians decided that an emergency cesarean would give both primates "the best opportunity for survival."

The zoo's veterinarian team performed the cesarean section with assistance from Dr. Jamie Walker Erwin, Neonatologist Robert Ursprung, M.D., and Dennis Occkiogrosso, CRNA.

"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 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. I was amazed at how Sekani's anatomy matched that of my human patients."

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The zoo noted that Jameela required "resuscitation and stabilization, respiratory support, radiographs, and serial examinations" after her dramatic birth. Ursprung has continued to provide consultations "to help optimize temperature regulation and nutritional strategy, including oral feeding."

"It was incredible how similar this mother-infant pair was compared to what I see in the hospital for babies born under similar circumstances," Ursprung said in a statement. "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."

"The zoo's care team was incredible. Their ability to adapt to the care needs of a medically fragile infant was amazing to watch," the medical professional added.

Baby Jameela — named as a nod to the word "beautiful" in Swahili and Dr. Erwin — has received around-the-clock care from keepers since birth.

Sekani "showed little interest in caring for her baby," which experts believe may be related to her not experiencing a full-term pregnancy and birth. To help Jameela grow, zoo keepers have been bottle-feeding the baby gorilla every two to three hours.

The zoo's staff has also been responsible for making sure Jameela is near other gorillas so she can "learn the smells, sounds, and sights of the troop."

The Fort Worth Zoo is training 24-year-old female gorilla Gracie, already a mother of two, to become the infant's surrogate mother. The zoo hopes that Jameela will eventually join its troop of seven gorillas.

"Observing our staff and their continuous commitment to this baby and the subsequent surrogacy journey is a testament to their dedication to the animals in their care," Michael Fouraker, executive director of the Fort Worth Zoo, said in a statement.

"It's been incredibly inspiring to witness, and we are all hopeful that we can continue to watch this little one grow."

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