After being born six weeks prematurely, a baby gorilla was rejected by her mother. However, keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, England, stepped in, hand-rearing the infant, who weighed little more than a kilogram.
Then, something miraculous happened—the infant, Yaoundé, was adopted by her own great-grandmother.
Yaoundé was born in June 2019. In the absence of her mom, keepers quickly had to become her surrogates as the vulnerable infant needed round-the-clock care.
However, they intervened in the nick of time and Yaoundé survived by constantly clinging to her keepers.
However, her dedicated group of human caregivers were keen to reintegrate Yaoundé into a gorilla family and a more natural developmental environment.
An older female gorilla named Shumba, upon meeting Yaoundé, reached her hands through the bars of her enclosure toward the infant. Keepers took notice of the bond, made especially poignant by the fact that Shumba is Yaoundé’s biological great-grandmother.
After some time of carefully observing the pair, who soon began grunting and playing together, keepers allowed Shumba and Yaoundé to share their first sleepover. Next, came introductions to the rest of Shumba’s group.
The protective great-grandma made sure her adopted infant was kept safe and reassured, and gradually, the group’s curiosity transformed into acceptance. Yaoundé had finally found her new family.
