Mama Gorilla & Her Baby Fawn Over Human Newborn Separated By Glass At Zoo

Aug 02, 2023

A gorilla and a new mom bonded over the love for their babies at a zoo in May 2021. The two mothers showed nothing but love and affection for their respective little ones at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts.

Emily Austin from Jefferson, Maine, was visiting the zoo with her husband and their 5-week-old son, Canyon. While holding her baby, she sat down next to the gorilla enclosure at Franklin Park Zoo to get a better look at the animals. She came nearly face-to-face with one of the gorillas, with just the glass of the enclosure’s window standing between the two of them.

Emily’s husband, Michael Austin, filmed the beautiful encounter she and Canyon had with a mother gorilla while visiting the zoo in Boston. Kiki, the mother gorilla, was incredibly interested in the baby boy and pressed her face up against the enclosure window to get a closer look at him.

The gorilla appeared to be completely fascinated by the human mother and her offspring. The sweet animal did her best to reach through the glass to pet the human baby, much like she would her own child. The heartwarming moment was captured on video and later uploaded for the world to see.

While it’s unclear what exactly prompted Kiki to show such an overwhelming amount of affection toward Canyon, it’s safe to say that this mother cares for babies. Emily and the gorilla mother made a surprising connection and bonded over their love for their babies as they shared a few special minutes together.

According to the Daily Mail, Kiki gave birth to her fifth baby in October 2020, which just so happened to be her first son. The 39-year-old western lowland gorilla’s son is named Pablo and could be seen sitting by her side in the adorable viral video. The human mother and gorilla mother had something in common, as they had both recently become mothers of their very first sons, and for Emily, her first child ever.

Throughout the video, she kept trying to get closer to the human baby and offered him her love by tapping on the window and trying to hold his hand through the glass. Kiki couldn’t stop staring at the precious baby boy, who was fast asleep throughout the entire ordeal.

Onlookers were amazed at the encounter, and one woman in the background was heard saying, “That is so cute.” Emily then pointed behind Kiki at Pablo and said, “Look at her baby.” After a few minutes, Kiki even lifted up her own baby to show him off for everyone to see and relish in his cuteness.

During an interview with News Center Maine, Emily talked more about the sweet moments she and her baby shared with the gorilla mother-son duo.

“She kept looking around the corner of the cave, and I was like, ‘She’s looking at Canyon,’” Emily said. “For well over five minutes, she just sat there watching (Canyon), just staring at him, just so lovingly.”

A video of Emily’s interview and the unbelievable encounter she shared with the mother gorilla was uploaded by the news outlet and posted to YouTube on May 8, 2021. The video has since received over 132,000 views and over 100 comments.

Emily held up her own baby to show Kiki and kept prompting the animal to look over at Canyon. Emily was shocked when Kiki appeared interested in the little one, even though she had been trying to get the gorilla’s attention. “I wasn’t really expecting it,” she said. “It was so sweet.”

“My wife sat on the floor and Kiki came over and immediately started interacting with us,” Michael said. It was an unbelievable incident.

“It was one of the most amazing experiences to see her trying to hold Canyon’s hand, lick him through the glass, and she just kept on pointing to us and then down at him,” Michael recounted.

“Her face was just so in love,” Emily said. “She was showing her baby my baby ... You could see the emotion in her eyes.”

The two mothers and their sons shared some quality time together while adhering to the safety guidelines, with the enclosure window in between them. “For well over five minutes, she just sat there, watching him,” Emily said happily, looking pleased and still floored about the entire situation. 

Even Pablo got in on the action and pushed his face up to the glass to watch Canyon, too. “My wife and I both had tears in our eyes,” Michael said. “Such an incredible memory to share with our son someday!”

“When I walked into the zoo that day, I never could’ve imagined that we would have had that experience,” Emily recounted. “It was so beautiful, and we walked out just over the moon.” Emily added that plenty of people stopped the family on their way out to tell them just how beautiful and special the moment that they were able to share with the animals was.

What did you think of this heartwarming moment? Do you think the family will visit the Franklin Park Zoo again someday to see their new gorilla friends? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to send this to your family members and friends.