Baby gorilla treated in German NICU!!!

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Specializes in NICU.

Hey everybody!!! I'm still alive, just extremely busy with life these days. Having a 6-month-old plus working full time, yikes!!! Miss you all though!

Anyway, when I logged on to Comcast today, I saw a story about a gorilla baby that was abandoned by her mother in a German zoo, and she was taken to a NICU and treated for hypothermia and dehydration. They said that because human and primate babies are so similar, it wasn't really a problem to treat the animal. And thinking about it, I would actually LOVE to have been the admit nurse!!! My hospital is located near a zoo, and they once had a chimp baby that was septic - infection started at the umbilicus - so one of our NNPs went there and placed a PICC line in him for long-term antibiotics. She said it was just like treating a hairy NICU baby, nothing much else was different.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/07/03/705817.html&cvqh=itn_gorilla

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Education.

Wow! Can you imagine being a grandparent...walking in to see your new grandchild...and...wait a minute! What the heck is that?!

Seriously though, isn't it amazing? On more than one occasion, we had a full-grown gorilla in our CT scanner at Parkland. Talk about doing a "double-take"...(although you could smell her all the way down the hall!)

By the way...Congratulations on the new baby!!!

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

That is SOOOO very interesting. Thanks for the post, Gompers! Although I would be a little more than surprised to see an animal in with the other babies, I can see what they're saying, humans & primates being similar in makeup.

6 months is such a fun age. Enjoy your girl!!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Years ago, our neonatalogist (who was quite a character) walked into the NICU, and pulled a 10 oz (300gm) prematurely born gibbon from under his sweater. The zoo vets had been making routine rounds when they noted one of the gibbons dragging something around her enclosure. They hadn't realized she was pregnant! It was February--even in San Diego, it was quite chilly and damp.

The doc put it in an incubator and told the intern to "work it up"! She decided to just do a regular NB exam--that worked ok til she checked the grasp reflex. The nurses had to pry the fingers off her! They put a butterfly in the animal's scalp, so it pulled it out w/it's feet!!

They tried to feed it, and it did take some formula, but as the day went on, it got more septic and shocky. They called the zoo to see if they could get blood from the mom, but by the time they got mom restrained, the baby was gone.

I was working nights, and when I came in @ 11 pm, they made me look inside this plastic bag in a basin full of ice to see this tiny, tiny face! Then they told me the events of the day.

The DON was in the back room when the gibbon arrived; she sent us a "condolence letter" the next day!

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

Hiya Gompers! Was thinking about you. Glad you're doing well, albeit very busy!!!

Love that story you posted. I love gorillas. I find them fascinating.

Cheers for now.

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Wow guys! I don't think our NICU has ever received a zoo call. Who woulda thunk it?

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Don't they have veterinarians in Germany?? :uhoh21:

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Specializes in level 3 NICU.

i would gladly take care of this "baby"! why? no parents breathing down my neck !

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Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
years ago, our neonatalogist (who was quite a character) walked into the nicu, and pulled a 10 oz (300gm) prematurely born gibbon from under his sweater. the zoo vets had been making routine rounds when they noted one of the gibbons dragging something around her enclosure. they hadn't realized she was pregnant! it was february--even in san diego, it was quite chilly and damp.

the doc put it in an incubator and told the intern to "work it up"! she decided to just do a regular nb exam--that worked ok til she checked the grasp reflex. the nurses had to pry the fingers off her! they put a butterfly in the animal's scalp, so it pulled it out w/it's feet!!

they tried to feed it, and it did take some formula, but as the day went on, it got more septic and shocky. they called the zoo to see if they could get blood from the mom, but by the time they got mom restrained, the baby was gone.

i was working nights, and when i came in @ 11 pm, they made me look inside this plastic bag in a basin full of ice to see this tiny, tiny face! then they told me the events of the day.

the don was in the back room when the gibbon arrived; she sent us a "condolence letter" the next day!

i happened to click on this old thread this morning and i thought your quote at the bottom (which reads, "i will tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me." matthew 25:40 ) struck me very funny, prmenrs, considering what the thread was about!

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Wouldn't infection control be an issue when an animal is in a NICU? :confused:

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