Gorillas are known to be one of the animals that share a bond with humans and nurturing a baby gorilla is quite similar, to raising an infant. This heartwarming story from year exemplifies this connection, where an Australian zookeeper took on the responsibility of caring for a baby gorilla that was abandoned by its mother.
Now there's an uplifting update to this tale as the baby gorilla has found an mother.
The Story of Kaius;
At Mogo Wildlife Park in New South Wales a precious baby gorilla named Kaius was born to his mother Kipenzi. However when everything seemed well the ones life faced a dire situation.
For reasons Kaius father Kisane separated him from his mother during an important feeding period. While Kisane showed gentleness and care towards the newborn removing him from his mother put his life at risk. After 14 hours of effort by zoo staff they managed to reunite Kaius with Kipenzi. Sadly due to sepsis pneumonia and rejection, by his mother Kaius faced condition.
"The veterinarians were discussing euthanasia. Doctors were uncertain if he would make it through the night " Chad shared with CNN.
The life of the gorilla was, at risk. Zookeeper Chad Staples, along with veterinarians and staff were determined not to give up. "When I first had him for the night after all the healthcare professionals had treated him and left we all knew there was a possibility he might deteriorate overnight " Chad shared with The Sunday Telegraph.
Chad provided round the clock care to nurse the baby gorilla back, to health giving him all the love and attention that a mother would normally provide. "Currently a significant part of his care resembles what you would give a baby; meeting his needs ensuring his hygiene and medical care are taken care of but more importantly focusing on his emotional well being and development " Chad explained. "Kaius needs to feel loved and protected like any baby and I want you to know that I am providing this constant care."
Through this contact and attentive care Kaius condition started showing improvement. Holding Kaius against his chest and allowing him to listen to his heartbeat helped stabilize the gorillas breathing and heart rate.
"Our little boy is making progress in steps " Chad said optimistically during that time.
"Despite being, on his medications there is a brightness in his eyes that brings hope to all of us."
Chad drew a comparison between taking care of Kaius and caring for a human baby. In an interview with CNN he shared, " by looking into his eyes it's like witnessing the wonderment of a newborn who absorbs the world with every blink."
However Chad humorously noted that changing a gorillas diaper proved to be more challenging. He added, "With a baby you only have to deal with their hands that may offer some assistance.. With a gorilla it became quite tricky. I couldn't. Laugh at the difficulty of it all."
After months of nurturing Kaius as his own Chad initiated a plan to reintroduce him to his kind. Now 10 months old Kaius has been spending time outdoors. Has transitioned from Chads home to the zoos gorilla enclosure.
The ultimate objective was, for G Anne, a 42 year gorilla to accept Kaius as her own offspring.
The two gorillas were placed in pens to each other with the intention that they would form a bond and eventually share an enclosure.
According to Chad there were risks involved, such as the older gorilla harming the younger one. However all indications pointed towards them getting along. Chad mentioned, "She's a girl and she has always shown signs that she wanted this as much as we did."
Fortunately G Anne seems to have accepted Kaius as her own. There have been sightings of the two enjoying breakfast together. Chad expressed his happiness by saying, "Seeing them brings me so much joy. It has been quite a journey."
This is definitely a development because Kaius deserves to be, with gorillas instead of relying solely on human care. Nonetheless Chad hopes that there will always be a bond between Kaius and him since he raised him when he was a baby. He mentioned, "I really hope there is a connection between them. It would be truly special."
What an uplifting update on Kaius story! We wish him growth and happiness, with his mother—knowing that his human "mother," Chad will always be there watching over him too.
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