This tiny baby gorilla, which weighs only 2lb 10oz, is the first in Britain to have been delivered by caesarean section. Prof David Cahill and Dr Aamna Ali carried out the op after mum Kera, 11, suffered life-threatening pre-eclampsia.
It was feared mum and unborn baby could die if she went into labour.Eight zoo-keepers carried the 20-stone gorilla into a clinic at the zoo after Kera was given an anaesthetic in her compound.The two medical experts - who work at an NHS maternity hospital - delivered the female baby by C-section in two-and-a-half hours.
Prof Cahill, who has done 3,000 C-sections on humans, said: “Along with having my own children, this is probably one of the biggest achievements of my life and something I will certainly never forget."It was so mind-blowingly different from anything we normally do.
This enormous gorilla was asleep on the table and we had to close off the scary bit of the brain to concentrate on the operation. Technically the action of cutting through the tummy into the womb was surprisingly similar. Her muscles were much more developed than a human but it was quite reassuring to see stuff we recognised as we went along. We got the baby out very carefully and gently and there was not much time for emotion".
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