A gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo has given birth to a healthy baby after a difficult labor that required
medical techniques typically used for delivering humans. A keeper noticed 17-year-old Kira had gone into labor on Thursday. Gorilla labor is typically very quick, but by Friday, it had not progressed and she seemed unwell. Concerned about the health of Kira and her baby, the zoo brought in a team comprised of both veterinarians and doctors more accustomed to treating humans - with incredible results.
A similar team was in place for a gorilla birth at the zoo last year, but the emergency response wasn't needed.
After
one-and-a-half hours, the team delivered the male baby using forceps
and an episiotomy, a procedure to enlarge the birth opening.
'It
was an anxious and dramatic day at the zoo, but in the end a
tremendously rewarding one,' said Andy Baker, the zoo's chief operating
officer.
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