A Mom for Umande

Umande is born to a young mother who was not trained on how to care for her baby. The mother does not know that she is to pick up her baby and teach him how to be a gorilla. Many caregivers become Umande’s mom for the next six months. Around the clock, they train Umande how to be a gorilla, clean her, and even sleep with her. After giving her natural parents one more chance to care for their young one, caregivers travel with Umande to another zoo that has Lulu, a 41-year old experienced mother gorilla. They keep the animals near each other, but separate for the first month. When joined together, Lulu immediately cares for Umande. At last, Umande has a caring mother. A fascinating read on how much care zoo staff gave to the baby gorilla. A great story for adoptive families that shares the trials and tribulations of finding Umande a Forever Mom.