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Zoo Caring For Baby Gorilla Until He Begins Eating Solid Food

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It was just last month the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium welcomed the birth of a brand new Western Lowland baby gorilla.

At that time, the baby gorilla was bonding so closely with its mother that it took several days for zoo officials to see if it was a boy or a girl.

Fast forward seven weeks later, and the little guy has gotten bigger. He's even now teething on carrots.

But zoo officials knew something was wrong when they saw some unusual behavior by his mother, Moka.

"He was with his mother, she was doing a great job taking care of him and then she started to put him down and we were very concerned," said Roseann Giambro, the gorilla keeper.

So, as a precaution, the mother and baby were taken to the animal care center.

Veterinarians found Moka was suffering from a condition known as mastitis, which is an inflammation of the mammary glands.

The condition prevented her from producing an adequate supply of nutrition for the baby. The baby gorilla had become mildly dehydrated.

So, for now, the little guy will remain under round-the-clock care until he begins eating solid foods.

"Right now, mom and baby are both healthy and our ultimate goal is to return them back to the gorilla troupe," Ginger Takle, the director of animal health, said.

Until then, staff members will take him to a room near the other gorillas so they can see each other and interact.

If you're interested, you can still see the baby gorilla. It's on display at the zoo every day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

RELATED LINKS:
Pittsburgh Zoo Welcomes Baby Gorilla, Tiger Cub (4/17/13)
More Pittsburgh Zoo News

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