Woodland Park Zoo Delivers 5.4-Pound Gorilla by First C-Section, Saving Baby After 20-Minute Revival
Updated
Updated · The Seattle Times · Aug 22
Woodland Park Zoo Delivers 5.4-Pound Gorilla by First C-Section, Saving Baby After 20-Minute Revival
3 articles · Updated · The Seattle Times · Aug 22
Summary
A 5.4-pound western lowland gorilla named Oku was delivered by emergency cesarean in May — the first C-section in Woodland Park Zoo’s history — after his mother Olympia developed labor complications.
Doctors intervened when Olympia’s amniotic fluid was gone, the baby’s position kept shifting and his heart rate slowed, prompting a joint zoo-human medical team to sedate her and operate.
Oku was not breathing at birth and needed about 20 minutes of resuscitation with oxygen before he began breathing regularly and opened his eyes.
Olympia rejoined her troop the next day, but caretakers later switched the newborns between Olympia and Jamani after Jamani struggled to raise both babies; all four have since done well.
Fewer than a dozen gorilla C-sections have been recorded globally, making the case a rare example of human obstetric specialists assisting care for a critically endangered species.