Mother Gorilla's Baby Died, What She Did Next Will Make You Cry

 

#1 Last week, a gorilla named Shira lost her infant daughter.

Shira seemed unable to accept the loss of her child. Zoo workers observed her pacing in her cage as she held the infant. Shira was seen shaking the corpse, perhaps hoping to see it stir.

 

#2 Shira is ten years old and lives at Frankfurt Zoo.

She has had two children in the past year, and both of them have died.

 

#3 Prof. Niekisch said they intend to perform autopsy on Shira's infant daughter.

And now that will be possible. Shira has finally allowed zookeepers to remove the baby from the enclosure.

 

#4 Her first son, Tandu, died of a viral infection when he was six months old.

Shira demonstrated the same grief and denial when she lost her son last May.

 

#5 The zoo director, Prof. Manfred Niekisch commented:

"Then, like now, she cuddled and cajoled him to wake up in vain. …"

"The bond between mothers and their babies is particularly close," he said.

In time, Shira accepted the loss of her son and allowed zoo workers to take the body.

 

#6 Last week, the baby girl seemed healthy, but then died very suddenly.

Shira tried so hard to wake the dead girl. She seemed to not want to believe she lost her second child. Shira was even observed sleeping with the corpse at night, laying it across her lap.