Seattle zoo's gorilla moms are raising swapped babies

Catch up quick: Jamani gave birth to a son on May 18. Six days later, Olympia delivered a boy via a cesarean section — an extremely rare procedure for gorillas.

• When staff tried to reunite Olympia with her newborn, Jamani picked him up and began caring for both babies while Olympia recovered.
• Then came another complication.
• Olympia's baby was thriving, but Jamani's little one was struggling to nurse, according to the zoo.

He spent several days in the zoo hospital receiving round-the-clock care while he learned to nurse and regained strength.

The intrigue: When the infant was ready to return to the their family group, zoo staff didn't give him back to Jamani, who was already caring for Olympia's baby.

• Instead, they gave Jamani's newborn to Olympia, who took him happily.
• Now Jamani is raising Olympia's baby, and Olympia is raising Jamani's.

Between the lines: The ties between these two families are longstanding.

• Jamani, 26, and Olympia, 29, helped raise each other's youngsters back in 2012 when the two gave birth to sons just weeks apart at North Carolina Zoo.
• The swapped infants are also half-brothers, both fathered by Nadaya, the troop's silverback and a first-time father.

The bottom line: As of this week, both moms are nursing successfully, both babies are gaining strength, and the unusual foster family arrangement appears to be working exactly as hoped.