As they were getting close to the gorilla’s enclosure, baby Canyon began making some strange noises, alarming his mom. However, what happened next completely surprised her – one of the gorillas walked up to him and started cradling him in her arms! “It was an amazing experience watching this huge 250-pound silverback gorilla embrace our tiny little infant son as if he was her own child. It was a truly beautiful display of maternal love and bonding. Gorillas are known to be very protective of their young ones, so it made my heart happy knowing that our little guy was being looked after by such a kind animal.”
The adorable moment warmed many people’s hearts online too! Franklin Park Zoo shared the picture on its Facebook page where it quickly gathered more than 1k reactions and nearly 800 shares.
The heartwarming moment was a joyous one for the zoo, which has been working to increase its gorilla population in recent years. Kiki and Pablo are two of four gorillas living at the Memphis Zoo.
“It was so beautiful to see that even though Kiki can’t speak our language, she could still communicate with us perfectly through her gestures and facial expressions,” Emmelina said.
An experienced mother who has been through labor before, the new mom said she knew what was happening.
“It was really amazing to see that connection between her and Canyon and then to be a part of it too was just incredible,” she said.
