"I've just done a search of the archives trying to find out more about the
story of the zoo gorilla (s?) who needed breastfeeding demonstrations in
order to learn how to breastfeed her baby. I've heard this story a lot and
there were several posts reagrding it (apparently happened at more than one
zoo), but does anyone know if this story is published or verified anywhere?"

Here's a link for you, Mari:

http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8F174e/8F174E0n.htm

>>In nature, young females observe their elders caring for and breastfeeding
their offspring. That experience will allow them to take care of their own
when they reach reproductive age. A good example of the power of this
experience is the case of a female gorilla named Dolly who had been raised
at the San Diego Zoo. When she delivered her first offspring, she did not
know what to do. She hugged the placenta and was afraid to touch the baby,
whom she was not able to breastfeed. During her second pregnancy, the
curators decided to teach her about mothering and breastfeeding. They showed
her videos of mother gorillas in the wild nursing their infants and gave her
a doll to teach her to be gentle in holding and nursing a baby. The teaching
programme was a success, and she has been able to nurse and care for several
other babies since then.<<

In her book, "So That's What They're For!: Breastfeeding Basics," Janet
Tamaro includes a story about mothers coming to the zoo to breastfeed their
babies so the pregnant gorillas could observe and learn how to breastfeed. I
don't have the book anymore, but I think Ms. Tamaro probably gives a cite in
her bibliography.

HTH,

Pat W

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