Gorillas are known to share a lot of human features. Opposable thumbs, a playful temperament, a group structure, and, of course, an unbreakable maternal instinct
Kiki, a well-known resident gorilla at the Boston Zoo, possesses all of these qualities and more. Something very special happens when a young couple brings their newborn child to the zoo.
This couple had no idea how much they resembled Kiki. Because the young couple had a newborn baby, Emmelina, Kiki had a baby of her own, Pablo.
Kiki catches the young mother’s eye as she raises her newborn baby up to the enclosure’s window, wanting to show them something of her own—her newborn baby gorilla Pablo.
Kiki proudly holds her hand up to the window, proud to show the young couple Pablo. She has fully understood that this couple also has a newborn child and wishes to connect with them on a motherly level.
So gentle, calm, and loving, Kiki looks at Emmelina and perhaps thinks she is also a baby gorilla. Ever so softly, Kiki demonstrates how she nurtures Pablo as if she’s giving lessons to the young mother.
The connection between Kiki and the young mother is genuinely unique. As if they speak the same language, maternal instinct seems to be universal across multiple species.
