Gorilla Baby Jameela's Bond with Foster Mom Grows Stronger by the Day

Jameela has one of the most heartwarming stories of this year. Seeing where she came from and where she is now is totally unmatched - especially now. She seems to have gotten into a groove with her new mom, and it's only going to get better from here!

On Thursday, April 18th, Jameela's new home shared another update about how she's settling in, and things are looking better than ever:

CBS Texas must be feeling a little salty. Jameela was born a Texas girl! Now, Ohio gets all the spotlight!

Related: Cleveland Zoo Shares Encouraging Update on Gorilla Baby 'Jameela'

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo took in Jameela after a few failed attempts to get her to bond with female gorillas at the Fort Worth Zoo. Her birth mom, Sekani, rejected her, and they made a few more attempts; as promising as a few of them looked, nothing worked out in the long run. Finally, they had to give in and send her somewhere else to have a chance.

That place was Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Cleveland, Ohio, with a gorilla named Fredrika. Freddy has been a surrogate mom a few times before and raised several members of the CleMet troop, so they thought she stood a good chance, and they were right! Since their first meeting, Jameela and Fredrika have been getting along incredibly well. They're so sweet together, and they're taking some time to be alone together. At this rate, though, she'll be able to join the troop in no time!

How Do Zookeepers Know Jameela is Accepted?

At this point, Freddy and Jameela are pretty well bonded. If they hadn't clicked, they'd have known right away: either Freddy would've shown no interest at all in Jameela, or she would've been aggressive toward her. In Sekani's case, she allegedly was just not showing maternal instinct at all.

There could have been a few reasons: Jameela was premature and born via c-section. Sekani may not have thought she'd survive and didn't want to get attached. Alternatively, the c-section could've pushed her toward feeling disconnected from her. Whatever the reason may be, the fact is that none of the Fort Worth gorillas accepted her.

Immediately upon meeting Jameela (under heavy supervision), Freddy started showing interest. She was reaching for her through the bars, and when they were allowed to physically be together, Freddy let Jameela climb onto her back. That position is reserved for a gorilla's young, so that's when they knew it was going to work out for them!

Jameela and Freddy will have some time to continue bonding before they join the rest of the troop, but with Freddy now committed to being her protector, I just know she'll get on great with all of her new siblings!