Baby gorilla injured at Woodland Park Zoo reunited with mom, doing well

Kitoko, a baby gorilla born in March at Woodland Park Zoo, was badly injured on Saturday when he was caught in a battle between his family group members.

The zoo reports that Kitoko was returned to his mother Uzumma on Sunday evening. Kwame, Kitoko’s father, was also reunited with the pair Sunday evening. As of Monday, both mom and baby are doing well and remain under the watchful eye of the animal health team and their keepers.

Zookeepers say Kitoko was bitten on the head, likely by accident when another gorilla tried to bite his mother. Kitoko was taken to the zoo’s veterinary hospital for an examination and diagnostic radiographs. He sustained a fractured skull and a severe laceration.

While the keepers did not witness the altercation on Saturday, camera footage shows that it happened at 7:50 a.m., and keepers noticed the wound at 8 a.m.

“Gorillas tend to be gentle giants but conflicts among family members do occur, in zoos and in nature,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “Conflicts can involve biting and shoving among individuals. We suspect one of the adult females may have inadvertently bitten the baby while engaged in a skirmish with Uzumma.”

The two-month-old gorilla underwent surgery and should fully recover if he doesn’t develop an infection.

“The infant sustained serious injuries to the head including a laceration from a bite wound, resulting in a bone fracture to the skull,” says Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo. “What could have been a life-threatening injury to his head appears to be a serious wound that can heal if no complications from infection result.”

The zoo called in a team of pediatric neurosurgery consultants from Seattle Children’s Hospital who assisted in the evaluation, and helped conduct the surgical exploration and closure of the wound.

“Having the team from Seattle Children’s Hospital on site was invaluable for their surgical expertise and advice regarding the longer term prognosis associated with this type of head injury,” Collins said.

This is not the first time human surgeons have operated on the zoo’s gorillas. In the past, they have performed emergency hernia surgery, helped deliver a gorilla baby, and performed a life-saving sinus procedure.

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The zoo has been temporarily closed due to COVID-19, but has shared updates on Uzumma and Kitoko since his birth at the start of March, as well as news about other animals and newborns on their website and social media pages.

The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.