The closest way for us to see exotic animal from another corner of the world without leaving our city or town is to visit the zoo. Zoos are great places to take kids and to have them experience a small glimpse of the wild. Animals in the zoo are also well taken care of and are given enclosures that mimic their natural habitat. Some animals are even born in the zoo after adapting to their environment.
Recently, one of the biggest zoos in North America, the San Diego Zoo, welcomed a new baby gorilla to their family. This is the 17th gorilla delivered in the zoo, and was via a Caesarian section, srare for gorillas in captivity. The birth was successful, however the baby gorilla caught pneumonia. One of its lungs was also treated since it collapsed.
A statement from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park explains that it developed the illness which turned into an inflamed lung with congestion after it was born. The park director of veterinary services, Nadine Lamberski, says that they’ve been working on getting the baby to recover after some days of treatment.
Christina Simmons, the zoo’s spokeswoman, says that the vets have performed some procedures which inflated the baby gorilla’s lungs.
The mother gorilla, named Imani, has been recovering well since her birth. The baby and its mother are lowland gorillas, which are labeled as endangered. There is no name for the baby just yet, but the staff is optimistic about its recovery.
