Gorillas generally form a bond with their care team. But, keepers never go into the gorilla’s enclosure while any gorillas are inside.
Although gorillas are generally gentle and peace loving, a full grown 180 kg + (400+ pound) silverback is at least as strong as ten healthy adult men. Gorillas are considered a Class 1 mammal, the most dangerous class of mammals in the animal kingdom, owing to their size and strength. Gorillas are kind, curious, and sometimes silly, but they are also very large, very strong animals.
I have been fortunate enough to have been invited “backstage” to visit the gorillas at my zoo. Their Keeper explained that the silverback would be watching me very closely, and would begin posturing if he decided he didn’t like or trust me. Instead, he calmly came right up to the bars and I was given carrots to offer him, which he took very gently from my hand. He then began to search the ground and eventually came back to offer me a gift; a stick he had spent ten minutes choosing for me. That was over a decade ago, and sadly Kokinga passed away a couple of years back. But, I still have the gift he gave me. Below is a photo of a young female named Yewande holding my hand.
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