Lincoln Park Zoo officials are thrilled to present baby gorilla Nayembi for public viewing Thursday after she suffered a severe facial injury in the winter.
"It's really exciting,'' said Lincoln Park Zoo spokeswoman Sharon Dewar, who added that Nayembi has made it past the critical phase of several stages of rehabilitation since the injury in February. "We're ready for the next step.''
Nayembi (pronounced nay-em-bee) was reintroduced to her father, Kwan, today. "It seems to be going fine today with her father,'' Dewar said.
She was reunited with her mother, Rollie, about a month ago, along with others, including another baby gorilla Patty who is a month older than Nayembi, Dewar said.
"But they've been doing it in privacy,'' she said.
Rollie, 16, gave birth to Nayembi last November. Everything seemed fine until suddenly in February when the infant suffered a severe facial cut while momentarily out of view, zoo officials said. Nayembi was rushed to emergency surgery and was placed under the round-the-clock care of the zoo's health staff.Authorities never determined the cause of her injury. No one saw it happen, and it occurred in an area that cameras near the exhibit were not able to capture, Dewar said.
Her recovery was a "delicate and careful process,'' Dewar said. "But we feel today quite comfortable'' that she is ready for the public.
Visitors may see Nayembi beginning 1 p.m. Thursday at the zoo's Regenstein Center for African Apes, which is at Cannon Drive and Fullerton Parkway.
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