When gorilla Imani showed signs of trouble during her delivery, she was taken to the Zoo's Harter Veterinary Hospital and the baby was delivered by c-section. The baby, later named Joanne, was full term and weighed 4.6 pounds. She was delivered by a team of San Diego Zoo Global staff and outside consultants, including Dr. Dawn Reeves, a human neonatal specialist from UCSD Medical Center. Then Joanne showed signs of complications believed to be related to the difficult labor—she was put into intensive care to receive oxygen and supplemental fluids. The baby was breathing a lot faster and her heart rate was elevated. They did an x-ray and confirmed that the baby gorilla had a collapsed lung and had to undergo treatment. The care team, including Dr. Mark Greenberg, an anesthesiologist and respiratory specialist from UCSD Medical Center, quickly assembled for a procedure to fix the collapsed lung. After carefully intubating Joanne, they suctioned out a mucus plug that was in her right lung, likely aspirated at the time of delivery. Following the procedure the medical teams were able to re-inflate the lung. After a repeat chest x-ray, both lungs were fully inflated and the procedure was successful.

As if a collapsed lung weren't enough, it was then determined that Joanne had pneumonia! After a course of treatment, th 8-day-old baby showed great improvement. She was strong enough to breathe on her own and no longer needed supplemental oxygen, so the animal care staff were able to start giving her bottles with an infant formula that she quickly gulped down. She was getting lots of calories, her vital signs were normal, she was bright-eyed and tracking what was going on around her—and all indications were that she had survived her ordeal and was going to be just fine.

A Rough Start for a Little Ape

When Imani was in labor with her first baby, all seemed to be going well. Keepers and veterinarians at the Safari Park were there, monitoring her progress. With her contractions two minutes apart, the birth should have happened at any moment, but several hours later, it was clear the mother-to-be was in distress. Imani was sedated and taken to the veterinary hospital for an emergency C-section delivery. An amazing team assembled, which included veterinary surgeons and specialists in caring for human newborns, and they were able to deliver the baby girl gorilla, later named Joanne.

But because of the long labor, Joanne was having trouble breathing, and it turned out that she had a collapsed lung and pneumonia. The fragile infant stayed at the veterinary hospital for treatment and round-the-clock care, and the veterinarians were hopeful about her recovery. Everyone was very happy when after eight days, Joanne was able to breathe on her own and gulp down bottles of infant formula.

Meanwhile, mom Imani was recovering well. Keepers brought blankets and stuffed animals with Joanne’s scent to her to smell, and brought her scent back to Joanne. Then keepers began bringing the baby to the gorilla bedrooms for short visits, so everyone in the troop could see her. Then 12 days after her birth, the keepers laid Joanne in a nest of hay in the gorilla bedroom, stepped out, and let Imani in. They weren’t sure what Imani’s reaction would be—but she went right to the baby, sniffed her, and then quickly scooped her up and cradled her. It was just the happy ending everyone had hoped for.

2014

End Extinction 2007 - 2016