Cute video alert!
After 12 days of being apart the baby gorilla, who was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, was reintroduced to her mother, Imani, and they have been inseparable since.
The baby gorilla- who has not been named- was born at 4.6 pounds during an emergency C-section after Imani, a first time mother, showed no signs of progress after 12 hours of labor. Following the emergency procedure, the baby gorilla suffered respiratory problems including a collapsed lung and pneumonia.
Once the baby gorilla showed signs of improvements last week, the staff decided it was time for the baby and mom to meet.
The San Diego Zoo staff placed the 12-day-old gorilla on a soft hay pile and then brought Imani into the room to meet her daughter. After Imani smelled her, she picked her up and carried her around the room.
“Initially she was just carrying the baby, she never set the baby down,” Andrew Stallard, animal care supervisor at the Safari Park said. “About three hours in, she began nursing the baby. After about a five-minute bout, the baby fell asleep, which is exactly what we were looking for, so we were really excited.”