This is the heartwarming moment a zoo visitor shows her newborn baby to a mother gorilla who is fascinated by the human offspring.
The touching encounter occurred when Emmily Austin from Jefferson, Maine, sat down next to the gorilla enclosure at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston with her five-week-old son Canyon.
Footage filmed by Emmily s husband Michael shows Kiki the gorilla pressing her face up to the enclosure window to get a closer look at Canyon.
The 39-year-old western lowland gorilla gave birth to her fifth baby in October, her first son, named Pablo.
Emmily Austin from Jefferson, Maine, was visiting Franklin Park Zoo along with her five-week-old son Canyon when she encountered Kiki the Gorilla
Updated on May 10, 2021 at 11:09 am
NBC Universal, Inc.
It appears mothers of all species have the same loving instincts for their children.
Emmily Austin discovered as much when she and her 5-month-old son, Canyon, met Kiki the gorilla, herself a mother of five, on a recent trip to Boston s Franklin Park Zoo. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
The mom from Jefferson, Maine, held her son up against the safety glass to see the gorillas when Kiki took notice and came over to see the baby for herself, becoming fascinated with the infant.
May 10, 2021
Kiki the gorilla has been a favorite at Boston s Franklin Park Zoo for some time. In fact, she gave birth to her first son in the fall of 2020. Over the weekend, Kiki was playing in her enclosure when she noticed a park goer near a window holding an infant. Emmily Austin of Jefferson, Maine was visiting with her family when Kiki caught her attention.
“She kept looking around the corner of the cave, and I was like, ‘She’s looking at Canyon, ” she told NBC s Maine affiliate.
The family uploaded footage from the interaction to YouTube on Saturday. The video shows Kiki looking at and gesturing toward the baby and pressing her hand against the glass. Pablo (Kiki s baby gorilla) clambers over and Kiki scoops him up, leaving the two mothers holding their boys with the glass between them.
All Mothers Seem to Love Babies
We all love stories of baby animals, so I don’t know why I was so surprised by the article on newscentermaine.com about Kiki, a gorilla mama at the Boston Franklin Park Zoo in Maine, and a human mother with her human five-month-old son.
The encounter was so moving for Emmily Austin, the mother of little five-month-old Canyon.
Truly Touching Encounter
As Emmily stood in front of the glass at the exhibit she noticed Kiki, herself a mother of five gorilla babies noticed Emily and her baby. Kiki was so curious about the baby!