Baby Gorilla Raised By Human Surrogates at Cincinnati Zoo

A two-month- old baby gorilla is being raised temporarily by a group of 10 human surrogate parents at the Cincinnati Zoo. The human surrogates are imitating the behaviour of a mother gorilla.

Gladys born on Jan. 29 at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas was rejected by her mother who showed no interest in the upbringing of her offspring.  Gladys needed some motherly affection, which she received after being shifted from the Texas zoo to Cincinnati Zoo in February.

The team of 10 works eight hour shifts and dresses in knee pads, gloves and fur jacket. When the team members are with Gladys, they grunt in order to produce the sounds of a gorilla and they crawl around the place with the baby clinging tightly to them. They will continue with this until they get a zoo female gorilla that is ready to take up the role of a surrogate mom to Gladys.

The human surrogates bottle feed Gladys five times a day. They feed her solid foods such as carrots and sweet potatoes. They are introducing her to other gorillas allowing her to touch them from behind the bars, preparing her for a future transition.

"You'd be crazy to say you haven't become attached to her, but as much as I like holding Gladys and being with Gladys, the day she goes in with a gorilla mom is the day I'm going to be happiest," Ron Evans, the zoo's primate team leader and one of Gladys' human surrogates, was quoted in ABC News.

Watch Video here.