The surgery was performed by a local medical team who typically works on humans, according to the zoo
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/gorilla-c-section-2-052926-c3ffde31579046b584682444b89bcdda.jpg "Left: Dr. Andrew Beckstom, Neonatologist and Medical Director of Swedish Medical Center NICU. Right: Dr. Sachita Shah with Butterfly Network and UW Emergency Medicine")
Credit: Nichole Hamilton/MFM Sonographer
NEED TO KNOW
- A gorilla at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle gave birth to a baby boy on May 24 via an “extremely rare” C-section after an ultrasound revealed complications
- The surgery was performed by a local medical team who typically works on humans
- Another female gorilla, who welcomed a baby of her own last week, stepped in to care for the newborn while his mom recovers
A Seattle zoo is celebrating another new addition to its animal family.
Pregnant gorilla Olympia gave birth to a baby boy at the Woodland Park Zoo on Sunday, May 24, via an "extremely rare" C-section, per a press release shared on May 26. The surgery, which took place five days after Olympia's due date, was performed by a local medical team who typically works on humans.
The baby — Olympia's second — weighed in at 5 lb., 4 oz. and is in "good health."
“Thanks to the teamwork of the human doctors, veterinarians and gorilla care team, Olympia and her baby are in good health and doing well," Martin Ramirez, the zoo's curator of mammalogy, said. "Given the positive indicators so far, we remain optimistic but are also cautious because the situation is very fluid and fragile."
Another female gorilla at the zoo, Jamani — who gave birth to her own baby boy on May 18 — has stepped in to care for Olympia's newborn while she recovers. The two moms each welcomed a son weeks apart in 2012 when they lived together at the North Carolina Zoo and raised them together.
Male gorilla Nadaya is the first-time father of both of the babies born this month.
Credit: Nichole Hamilton/MFM Sonographer
Olympia's new son marks the first gorilla born via C-section in the Woodland Park Zoo's 126-year history. "C-sections on gorillas are extremely rare, with under a dozen performed globally," the zoo said.
The medical team decided to deliver Olympia's baby by C-section after an ultrasound revealed complications.
“Due to this, we made the critical decision to put Olympia under anesthesia and call in a team of medical consultants to assess the fetus and determine the best intervention,” veterinarian Dr. Tim Storms, the zoo's director of animal health, explained.
Olympia was anesthetized and transported by zoo ambulance to the zoo's veterinary hospital, where she was examined by the obstetrical team. An ultrasound — done by Dr. Sachita Shah, a sonographer with Butterfly Network — showed decreased amniotic fluid in the womb, combined with an incompletely dilated cervix, which indicated non-productive labor.
Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo
“This meant that Olympia would not be able to deliver her baby without our help, so we made a critical decision to deliver the baby via cesarean section,” Storms said. “We had a highly skilled and compassionate volunteer obstetrical team that joined our veterinary team to perform the surgery and deliver a healthy baby boy."
The surgical team from Swedish Medical Center included Dr. Emily Norland, chief of OB-GYN, Dr. Suzanne Peterson, program director of the OB-GYN residency program, and Lily Pang, RN.
After Olympia's baby boy was born, he was examined and stabilized by Dr. Andrew Beckstrom, neonatologist and medical director of the Swedish Medical Center's NICU, Dr. Shah and the zoo's veterinary team with support from King County Medic One.
Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo
During the newborn's first night, a gorilla keeper and a veterinary technician provided around-the-clock care in the off-view gorilla den next to Olympia as she recovered from the anesthesia and surgery.
“Keeping the baby in close proximity to Olympia allowed her to see, hear and smell her baby the entire time," Ramirez said. "Because Olympia had just undergone a major surgical procedure, we wanted to let her rest the first night without the need to care for her baby."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"We'll continue to monitor her for any complications and overall health and well-being as she recovers over the next several weeks," Ramirez added.
The day after the birth, Olympia was reunited with her troop and, hours later, her baby was introduced to the other gorillas. "While Olympia showed interest in her baby, Jamani picked up the baby instead and carried him along with her own baby while allowing Olympia to be nearby," the zoo said. "Throughout the day, Jamani on cue brought both babies to the mesh for the gorilla care staff to do bottle feeding training sessions."
Credit: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo
The zoo said both mothers, as part of their maternal skills training, had been taught to pick up a baby doll and bring it to the gorilla keepers "in case there was a need for supplemental feedings of human infant formula through the mesh."
“We weren't surprised and knew there was a possibility that Jamani would pick up Olympia's baby,” said Arden Robert, animal care manager of primates at the Woodland Park Zoo. “Last night, Jamani nursed Olympia's baby several times. While Olympia is staying very close, she has not yet attempted to take either baby. The gorilla keepers will continue to closely monitor the new moms and babies 24/7 to ensure healthy nursing for both infants.”
According to the zoo, the first 72 hours are the most critical for newborn gorillas. They said Olympia's baby is so far doing well and successfully maintaining a healthy body temperature.
"While Olympia recovers from the C-section, our plan is to allow Jamani to continue caring for Olympia's son while also caring for her own son as long as both infants remain healthy, which is our priority," Ramirez said. "Once Olympia shows signs of being ready for her baby, we'll move forward with plans to reunite them."
With the arrival of the two newborns, the Woodland Park Zoo now cares for a total of 13 western lowland gorillas living in two separate family groups.