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Mother gorilla hugs baby for first time at San Diego’s Safari Park

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SAN DIEGO -- For the first time, a gorilla named Imani was allowed Monday to embrace her 12-day-old baby at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The as-yet-unnamed baby underwent surgery for a collapsed lung soon after birth and then was treated for pneumonia -- all at the park hospital. The mother, who is 18, which is old for a first-time gorilla mother, has been recovering from a Caesarean section.

Imani sniffed the baby, picked her up and then carried her and cradled her in the gorillas’ “bedroom area,” zookeepers said.

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“About three hours in, she began nursing the baby,” said Andrew Stallard, animal care supervisor at the park. “After about a five-minute bout, the baby fell asleep, which is exactly what we were looking for.”

Other gorillas were allowed to see Imani and the newborn through a protective mesh barrier.

One gorilla, a 5-year-old male named Frank, was allowed to get close to mother and child. Frank and Imani have a “special bond,” although Frank is not the father of the baby, zookeepers said.

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The park has eight gorillas, including the newborn.

tony.perry@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATsandiego

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