Fort Worth Zoo delivers gorilla baby via emergency C-section

FORT WORTH, Texas - The Fort Worth Zoo is celebrating the birth of a new baby gorilla weeks after it was born via an emergency cesarean birth.

The zoo says staff members saw signs that the mother, Sekani, was showing symptoms of preeclampsia. The team had to scramble to save the life of Sekani and the baby.

They called in human medical specialists to help with the life-saving procedure.

On January 5, the baby gorilla was born, about four to six weeks earlier than expected.

"It was absolutely incredible. It was a highlight of my career," said Dr. Jaime Erwin, an OBGYN at Vivi Woman's Health. "After that first incision it was business as usual. The anatomy is exactly the same."

Zoo staff members have been hand-raising the baby gorilla, who is named Jameela, for the last five weeks, as they work to get the baby girl well enough to reunite it with its mother.

"It's been incredibly inspiring to witness and we are all hopeful that we can continue to watch this little one grow," said Michael Fouraker, the executive director of the Fort Worth Zoo.

The zoo shared a photo of the baby's paw print on social media on Wednesday morning.

The Fort Worth Zoo hopes that another gorilla at the zoo, Gracie can be a surrogate mother for the baby.

They are currently training Gracie for the surrogacy.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says the western lowland gorillas are listed as critically endangered.