SAN DIEGO, Calif. (WTVR) -- A baby gorilla birthed during a rare Caesarian section last Wednesday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has undergone surgery for a collapsed lung.
The San Diego Zoo had several outside consultants help out during 18-year-old Imani's emergency surgery, including specialists from UCSD Medical Center.
“The C-section was the right decision,” Park’s Associate Director of Veterinary Services Nadine Lamberski said in a statement Thursday. “We think the health of the fetus would have been compromised if we delayed the surgery any longer."
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The baby gorilla, which weighed just over four-and-a-half pounds, was in intensive care receiving oxygen and fluids at the veterinary hospital after the procedure.
Zoo officials later said that the baby girl underwent surgery for collapsed lung.
"The baby showed complications and recently underwent surgery for a collapsed lung... The procedure was a success and she is breathing better on her own," according to an update on the zoo's Instgram page.
"She is still in guarded condition & under round the clock care. Thanks for your concern," the zoo tweeted Sunday.
Video posted to the zoo's YouTube page Sunday showed the little girl holding a stuffed gorilla while veterinary staffers cared for the newborn. Another part of the video showed the baby decked out in a pink blanket.
