Move over, baby panda, there’s a cute new sheriff in town.
The 8-day-old gorilla at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park that has captured hearts around town is showing great improvement after completing her treatment for pneumonia, according to park officials.
The gorilla is now strong enough to breathe on her own and doesn’t require supplemental oxygen. Animal care staff were able to give the gorilla bottles with an infant formula that she gulped down quickly.
“For those who have been following the gorilla closely you’ll notice she’s got a lot more hair and we think that she’s really doing well on the (infant) formula,” Dr. Nadine Lamberski, associate director of veterinary services at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park said. “She’s getting a lot of calories and you can see that she changes every day. She’s developing normally and very rapidly.”
While the baby gorilla has shown great improvement, animal care staff is still monitoring her progress around-the-clock. Animal care staff noted the baby gorilla is much stronger after completing her course of treatment for pneumonia and that her vitals signs and breathing pattern are now normal.
The baby gorilla’s 18-year-old mother, Imani, is doing well after the emergency C-section and back in her familiar habitat, according to the park.
