Baby Gorilla 'Jameela' Makes a Cameo in Cleveland Zoo's New Video and She's Gotten So Big
Baby Jameela had the world in a chokehold a few months ago. As most trends do, she eventually stopped taking up everyone's newsfeeds, and that was for the better. It meant that she was settling in. There not being as much exciting stuff to share meant that she was finally able to enjoy life as she should have been able to all along.
However, just because she settled in doesn't mean that we don't think about her all the time. Luckily for us, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo knows that, which is why they treated us to a sweet video featuring the star on Wednesday, September 25th:
Am I lame if I admit that I check @clemetzoo's account at least twice a week specifically for a Jameela update? I think about her all the time!
Related: Gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo Gets the World's First 3D-Printed Titanium Cast for Broken Arm
Before Moo Deng, the Pygmy Hippo from Thailand who's taking the world by storm at the moment, there was Baby Jameela. She had quite the journey from the beginning: she was born in Texas at the Fort Worth Zoo and rejected by both her biological mother and the surrogate they attempted to place her with.
So they contacted the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo where Fredrika, a gorilla who has successfully been a surrogate mother for others in the past, was living. Just like they expected, Freddy took to motherhood with Jameela almost immediately.
What Has Jameela Been Up To?
Since Jameela arrived at Cleveland Metroparks back in March, she's done quite a lot. She first had to get acquainted with her new mama, and then she had to spend time bonding with her, and then it was time to meet the rest of her troop.
However, updates about Jameela became less frequent once we knew that she had been accepted by Freddy. We weren't privy to exactly what she was doing unless we were lucky enough to get to go to the zoo ourselves.
Apparently, she's been doing everything you'd expect her to be doing. Jameela's favorite pastimes have come to include:
Hanging onto Freddy's back for a good portion of the day.
Running around the enclosure in search of snacks.
Playing with her brother, Kayembe, who has quickly become her best friend.
Watching the zoo-goers.
Gorillas are very social animals. They need friends to thrive, and Jameela has had absolutely no problem making friends. She's only about 8 months old, so she still has a lot of growing to do. Gorillas don't reach full-grown until they're about 12 years old. She's got a long way to go, and hopefully, they share the whole journey with us!
