Mother unexpectedly gives birth at Zoo

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WHDH) -- A surprise visit from the stork at a zoo in Syracuse when zookeepers from a nearby exhibit helped welcome a little bundle of joy into the world.

Word came in that a woman was going into labor near the penguin exhibit.

Animal workers, including Liz Schmidt ran over, expecting they just needed to keep the woman calm for a while until an ambulance came.

"Sometimes people go 12 hours, 24 hours in labor so I was like, let me go check this out. And I was sort of jogging and I see there was panic in the group and I was like all right - let's get into this thing,” said Liz Schmidt, who delivered the baby.

Less than five minutes later, the woman's water broke and Schmidt with E.M.T.’s on the phone ended up delivering a baby girl right on the walkway.

The 21-year-old new mother had been on a tour of the zoo.

"The mother was remarkably calm. And me and Liz kind of gave each other an exchange when we saw the baby take its first breath, it was kind of heart taking,” said Sarah Kohler, zoo educator.

Zoo staff said the woman didn't speak English, but did express her gratitude before getting into the ambulance.

It wasn't until later that Schimdt fully realized what had taken place.

"I went home and changed my clothes and took a shower and talked to my mother. I said I delivered a baby today she said, what kind? A goat or a monkey or what? No, a human!" said Schmidt.