The Fort Worth Zoo is celebrating its newest arrival, a baby gorilla named Jameela, the first gorilla to be born via cesarean section in the zoo's 115-year history.
It’s an accomplishment made thanks to the teamwork of veterinarians and human doctors alike.
"Sekani is a 33-year-old gorilla in our troop. She's been an excellent mom before. She's never had any complications. She’s raised all of her other babies, so we were really optimistic that this was going to go well,” said Associate Veterinarian Sarah Cannizzo.
"But in early January, the keepers noted that she started holding her head and that can be a sign of a headache in a gorilla."
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They also noted she was trembling, which is a sign of pain.
Bloodwork also showed signs of elevated protein levels.
Cannizzo said their medical team determined Sekani was suffering from preeclampsia, a condition that's life-threatening without an emergency C-section.
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But though well-versed in the animal world, Cannizzo had never performed a cesarean on a primate. So she called board-certified OBGYN Jamie Erwin.
Erwin’s consulted with the zoo for years. But while she’s delivered hundreds of human babies, she’d never operated on a primate.
“Definitely a first for me. This is a once-in-a-lifetime I'm guessing,” said Erwin.
Within two days, the women assembled a volunteer medical team of both human and animal experts to fill an operating room on zoo property.
After administering steroids to help strengthen the baby's lungs, they put Sekani under anesthesia before beginning a procedure that Erwin said was shockingly familiar.
"What was beautiful is that Sakani's anatomy is exactly the same as my human patients. Very few differences. Her pelvis is slightly more narrow than a human patient but the steps of the cesarean were exact,” she said.
A neonatologist was also on-site to help zoo staff stabilize the baby, who was delivered about a month early, and ensure her lungs were strong enough to survive.
"Such a relief. It was a pins and needles situation until we knew she was doing better and that she was going to make it,” said Cannizzo.
For the first time in the zoo's 115-year history, a C-section was to thank for boosting the gorilla population.
“It's a huge responsibility. I love it but it's a huge responsibility. They are critically endangered in the wild, so every birth matters. Every birth counts,” she said.
Without a traditional birth, Cannizzo said they fear Sekani didn't develop the right hormones to bond with her baby.
Instead, zoo staff is working to train fellow new mom Gracie to act as a surrogate.
Until then, zookeepers will continue to care for Jameela, whose name in Swahili means "beautiful." It’s also a nod to Dr. Jamie, who never imagined she'd bring a primate into the world.
“I think one thing I've learned from this is do what God has gifted you to do. Use your skillset and doors will open where you get to be part of something miraculous and beautiful and historic,” said Erwin.
