Playing Mom for a Baby Gorilla
August 06, 2010
Back in April and May, we brought you the story of Misha the Louisville Zoo's baby gorilla, which had been injured by a surly male gorilla. To facilitate her recovery, it was determined that Misha should be moved to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which is internationally recognized for caring for gorillas in social groups including the placement of young gorillas with surrogate mothers. Surrogates are taught to not only care for their baby like their own but also to bring the baby over to staff when prompted for bottle feedings, medication and regular check-ups. For now though, Misha spends most of her time with zoo staffers as you can see in the must watch video below.
Photo credits: Columbus Zoo & Aquarium