Baby Afia the gorilla was the first gorilla in the United Kingdom to be born by cesarean section. Now, 6 months old, the baby girl is left without a mother to care for her.
Fortunately, her caretakers at Bristol Zoo's Gorilla Island are happy to step in and teacher her how to be a gorilla until they can ensure a loving surrogate gorilla mama for her.
Sarah Gedman, one of her human keepers, doesn't mind letting Afia cling onto her back the way she would with her real mother.
"She is constantly learning and is very determined. If she sees something she wants, she will do all she can to get hold of it and investigate," Gedman told Daily Mail.
Afia has become obsessed with faces and is constantly staring at her keeper's faces and her fellow gorillas to remember them. Gorillas are highly intelligent beings and one of a few species of animals that have self-awareness. Gorillas can become very attached the humans in their life, as we've seen them remember their human friends even when they haven't encountered them for decades.
The keepers are waiting to introduce Afia to her gorilla troop until she is ready to be integrated with them. Her mother, Kera, is still recovering from the procedure and doesn't know Afia.
Only time will tell what may happen to this precious baby girl, but with so many loving companions around her, we think she will develop just fine.
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