Baby gorilla born after rare Caesarean section

A rare baby gorilla from Bristol Zoo has become the first in the UK to be successfully born after an emergency Caesarean.

The operation was performed by a human gynaecologist after the mother Kera was diagnosed with life-threatening pre-eclampsia. The baby girl - yet to be named - was born weighing just over a kilo.

She needed help from vets before she was able to breathe independently, but is now doing well. The Zoo are hand-rearing the baby round the clock by a small team of experienced gorilla keepers.

It is the first time a gorilla has been born by Caesarean at Bristol Zoo, and one of only a handful of instances of it occurring worldwide. >As it is early days, the baby is not yet on show to the public.

Unusually, the Caesarean section was carried out by Professor David Cahill, a gynaecologist at St Michael's Hospital.

Despite having delivered hundreds of babies by Caesarean in his career, this was the first time Prof Cahill had delivered a baby gorilla by this procedure.

He describes the main differences of performing the surgery on a gorilla, compared to a human.

The professor also described the delivery as one of the biggest achievements of his life.

Watch the baby gorilla being born below:

It is believed that this is the second or third time a baby gorilla has been born by Caesarean section in the UK - but the first time the infant has survived.

The professor describes what the experience must've been like from the point of view of the mummy gorilla:

The exact cause of pre-eclampsia isn't known, but is thought to occur when there is a problem with the placenta.>It causes extremely high blood pressure which can only be reversed by giving birth.

The mum and baby have been separated while the adult is recovering, and the 11 day old infant is being monitored closely by keepers.

Watch the little baby gorilla being hand-reared: