{"id":17962,"date":"2015-10-13T16:05:14","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T21:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=17962"},"modified":"2015-10-13T22:11:19","modified_gmt":"2015-10-14T03:11:19","slug":"baby-zachary-at-tropic-world-mesmerizes-brookfield-zoo-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/baby-zachary-at-tropic-world-mesmerizes-brookfield-zoo-visitors\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Zachary mesmerizes Brookfield Zoo visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colette House<\/p>\n

New mom Kamba, a western lowland gorilla, cuddles, nurses and holds her newborn baby boy Zachary. Her every move reminds mesmerized Brookfield Zoo patrons of one of the most fundamental and natural of bonds – the love between a mother and her infant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people see Zachary, it\u2019s kind of amazing how they relate to that. They see a primate mother with an infant and it\u2019s a very relatable relationship with how gentle moms are with their kids, how protective they are,\u201d said Craig Demitros, associate curator of primates at Brookfield Zoo. \u201cThere\u2019s just something about that, because they are so close to us, that people relate to that a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Zachary has been delighting visitors at Tropic World’s Africa habitat.<\/p>\n

\"Kamba<\/a>
Kamba holds Zachary, born Sept. 23, in her arms. (Jim Schulz\/Chicago Zoological Society)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

since he was born in the early morning hours of Sept. 23 to parents Kamba, 11, and JoJo, 35. Zachary is estimated to weigh between 4 and 5 pounds, smaller than the average human baby, which is something Demitros said surprises most visitors who see a baby gorilla for the first time.<\/p>\n

Zachary has been visible to the public since the day he was born, although as one can expect from a newborn, his daily routine consists mostly of sleeping and nursing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s pretty much a typical infant, so he sleeps a lot,\u201d said Demitros. \u201cYou will see nursing 8, 10, 12 times per day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demitros said visitors might also see Nora, Zachary\u2019s half-sister who will turn two in November, curiously trying to interact with Zachary.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe tries to sneak up and get a little sniff or try to touch the baby, but Kamba the mom is very protective, and she\u2019ll just kind of put her hand out there and keep her at a distance,\u201d said Demitros.<\/p>\n

\"Nora,<\/a>
Nora, Zachary’s two-year-old half-sister, tries to get a closer look at the infant. (Jim Schulz\/Chicago Zoological Society)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Demitros said the zoo is very pleased with how easily Kamba has taken to being a mother. Demitros and his team helped prepare her for motherhood as best they could. In the eight-and-a-half months leading to the birth, Kamba underwent maternal training, including exercises that simulated nursing and how to retrieve objects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey actually get their chest to the front (of the enclosure), and we can actually put on a syringe or even a breast pump onto their breast to simulate nursing because it\u2019s a behavior and a feeling that they have not experienced,\u201d said Demitros.<\/p>\n

While the zoo is keeping Kamba and Zachary on as normal a routine as possible and letting Kamba take the lead, Zachary will soon get a well-baby check from the zoo veterinarians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey get immunized against measles, mumps and rubella, and we\u2019ve done oral polio vaccines in the past,\u201d said Demitros. \u201cThey\u2019ll get a TB test. They\u2019ll have blood work done,\u201d said Demitros.<\/p>\n

Since Tropic World is an open-air exhibit that attracts many visitors daily, the primates inside are susceptible to illnesses humans may be harboring, including colds, running noses, and respiratory infections. Spreading illnesses to the gorillas is one of the main reasons Demitros said the zoo tries to prevent people from throwing food and other materials into the enclosure.<\/p>\n

\"Zachary<\/a>
Zachary takes a nap in Kamba’s arms. (Jim Schulz\/Chicago Zoological Society)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf we get animals that are ill, we\u2019ve often got children\u2019s Tylenol and<\/p>\n

Zachary takes a nap in Kamba’s arms. (Jim Schulz\/Chicago Zoological Society)<\/p>\n

put them on Robitussin if they have a serious respiratory thing,\u201d said Demitros.<\/p>\n

As Zachary grows, he will continue to delight zoo visitors such as Jessica Thomas, who recently visited the Tropic World exhibit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to see them interacting and walking around,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to see the baby cling on as the mother roams around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at Top: Kamba holds newborn son Zachary. Visitors to Brookfield Zoo can see Kamba and Zachary when they explore the Tropic World exhibit at Brookfield Zoo.(Jim Schulz\/Chicago Zoological Society)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Colette House New mom Kamba, a western lowland gorilla, cuddles, nurses and holds her newborn baby boy Zachary. Her every move reminds mesmerized Brookfield Zoo patrons of one of the most fundamental and natural of bonds – the love between a mother and her infant. \u201cWhen people see Zachary, it\u2019s kind of amazing how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":17965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[509,29],"tags":[192],"class_list":["post-17962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2015","category-health-and-science","tag-promo"],"yoast_head":"\nBaby Zachary mesmerizes Brookfield Zoo visitors - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/baby-zachary-at-tropic-world-mesmerizes-brookfield-zoo-visitors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Baby Zachary mesmerizes Brookfield Zoo visitors - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Colette House New mom Kamba, a western lowland gorilla, cuddles, nurses and holds her newborn baby boy Zachary. 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