The Gorilla Born By Caesarean Section: 2lb 10oz Infant Becomes One Of Just Ten To Survive Following Emergency Surgery After Her Mother Was Diagnosed With Potentially Life-Threatening Condition

The 2lb 10z baby girl gorilla (left) was delivered by an emergency caesarean at Bristol Zoo after her mother was diagnosed with potentially life-threatening pre-eclampsia.

Gynaecologist Professor David Cahill was called in from the local NHS maternity hospital to perform the procedure in the veterinary clinic at Bristol Zoo (top right). 

Then vets then had to resuscitate the baby before she took a deep first breath - and the relieved team knew she was really in the swing of life. 

She is understood to be the first gorilla in the UK to be successfully born after an emergency caesarean, and one of fewer than ten in the world. As yet unnamed, she is now receiving round-the-clock care from a team of experts at the zoo who are hand-rearing her while her mother Kera (bottom right) recovers.