A pregnant woman posed with monkeys, a kangaroo, and more for an adorable maternity photo shoot

Wilson founded the Pets on Q media and booking company — which works with animal influencers and Hollywood animals — in 2017. Most recently, she and the company became stars of the Netflix series "Pet Stars."

Hilberg, on the other hand, is a photographer, digital content creator, and fellow animal lover. She's also seen in the Netflix series alongside Wilson.

"I'm not someone who likes to take pictures of myself, and I honestly just don't have many," Wilson said. "Also my husband is African, so doing maternity shots is not something that he's used to. He wasn't really interested in it."

"But Christine was like, 'You have one shot at doing this, so let's do something fun,'" she continued.

According to Hilberg, she wanted Wilson's photo shoot to "express who Colleen is" while also "falling in line with Colleen's goals in life."

"I felt like Animal Tracks was the full package because we'd have beautiful Colleen with these super unique animals, and then on top of that, we have the ability to share these pictures that now bring awareness to this facility and to the animals," she told Insider.

They chose not to bring lights or any other large camera equipment with them, as they wanted the animals to be comfortable. They also didn't want the setting to look "staged or forced," as Hilberg said.

"At Animal Tracks, they don't force their animals to do anything, so all the photos are very natural and based on the relationships I've built with them over years of working there," Wilson said. "We didn't tell them they couldn't do anything because we were in their territory."

They also chose to convey this natural vibe of their photos by shooting in black and white. According to Hilberg, the idea was inspired by photographer Nick Brant, who is known for his monochromatic wildlife shots.

As Wilson pointed out, most animals "are really curious." Dennis Hopper, the kangaroo at Animal Tracks, was one of them, as was Chrissy the baboon, who was previously a movie animal.

"The baboon is very maternal, and she's always wanted to be a mom," Wilson said. "Whenever there are babies — especially new monkey babies — that come into Animal Tracks, she tends to take over the motherly role."

"So she kind of knew what was going on, and she's noticed the changes in me," she continued. "She comes next to me, and she's just been extra gentle toward me lately."

Hilberg recalled the moment when Chrissy even went as far as to touch Wilson's stomach: "It was a natural, really beautiful moment. When I was taking pictures of Colleen, especially with the monkeys, it was like family. It was like they were hanging out with their aunt."

Raider was bred to be someone's pet and was sent to Animal Tracks as he got older. Wilson said she was at the sanctuary around the time of Raider's arrival, which made her photos with him all the more special.

"I thought it would be the most difficult shot to get because he runs around and is excited about meeting new people and wants to play all the time," she said about Raider. "But he just posed next to me for like 30 seconds and then turned around and did it again. It was almost like he knew what we were doing."

Wilson added that the animals she posed with are some of the ones that she's "bonded with the most" over the years. "They just happened to be some of the more dangerous animals," she said.

"Being next to a big black wolf would be really scary for most people, but he's very magical and just the softest soul," she added.

"All those photos you see of Colleen with monkeys touching her tummy, there's probably two or three monkeys on my shoulders, too, and playing with my camera at that exact moment," Hilberg told Insider.

"For someone like me who's always loved all sorts of animals, it was a dream come true," she continued.

As Wilson noted, her previous experience working with Animal Tracks was necessary for a successful and safe photo shoot. She said she's even "picked up the animals' poop pre-pregnancy," and knows what she can and can't do around each one.

"We could never walk into a sanctuary for the first time and expect those monkeys to swarm around her and touch her belly like they did," Hilberg said.

"Colleen's worked really hard to gain their trust and give them respect, and even when I was there, it was the same thing," the photographer added. "I had to keep in mind they are wild animals. I don't get to touch them, grab them, or tell Colleen, 'Hey, go put the wolf on your left side!' You really have to respect their space and boundaries, and let them come to you."

"What we're trying to raise awareness on is that these animals should not be owned as pets," Wilson said. "They were illegally owned, and they can't be released back into the wild now."

And when it comes to Animal Tracks, Wilson said she's hoping to help the nonprofit as it works toward raising funds that will help it move to a larger facility and care for more animals.

In the meantime, however, Wilson is preparing to give birth, and taking time to appreciate her unique maternity photoshoot.

"I didn't expect to have a maternity shoot like this where I want to have prints and put them on my wall," she said. "I don't even have wedding pictures on my wall yet, and it's been like two years."

To learn more about Animal Tracks, visit the group's website.