The Silverback was a Perfect Gentleman

Despite being annoyed at first I’m glad my friends ditched me that day. We were supposed to go to the Calgary Zoo but they called me last minute to reschedule. Instead of changing my plans I went by myself and have an incredible experience.

At first nothing was abnormal. I went from exhibit to exhibit taking pictures, enjoying the animals, and just experiencing the beauty of the place. When I got to the gorilla enclosure however that's when it got interesting. As I approached the main area a zookeeper came up to me. He started off our conversation by asking me if I was part of the tour group. I said no and we continued talking.

His next question caught me off guard.

“Do you want a job?”

Since I was working full time my initial reaction was “I already have one” but instead of saying that I asked “Doing what?” He then went on to explain that he needed assistance feeding a baby gorilla.

The baby’s mother had rejected her because she had been hand raised and did not know how to take care of a baby. The baby’s sister had stepped in but because she was not lactating, she was not able to nurse the little one and so the zookeepers needed to provide her with nourishment. My job would be to feed raisins to the adults as a distraction while he fed the baby a bottle.

Of course, I jumped at this opportunity and he took me into the back where I washed my hands before following him through a series of corridors. We finally arrived at a room that was divided by wire mesh with approximately 2” X 2” openings. He told me to wait on one side of the mesh while he stepped into the larger area and spread a variety of different vegetables on the floor explaining that these would be for the gorillas to eat when they weren’t being fed the raisins. He then came back into the area where I was and closed a door that would protect us from the gorillas. He told me that while feeding the gorillas I should have them put their hands above their heads holding on to the mesh and should not touch them. I was to put the raisins gently between their lips for them to take as they wanted. He then opened the door that would allow the gorillas into the enclosure and we both knelt on the floor to begin out task.

At that time the group consisted of two adult females, the baby, and the silverback. The adults came over to me knowing that I had the raisins and one by one they followed my demonstration to put their hands above their heads on the mesh and patiently waited for me to feed them the raisins. When one got tired another came over. At one point one of the females alerted me that I was not giving them to her fast enough by trying to grab my knee under the door. The other put her hand on top of mine during my “on the mesh” demo and I am grateful she did not squeeze because the power I felt would have broken my hand. The silverback was a complete gentleman with my only complaint that he burped in my face.

After the baby finished her bottle, she was gathered up by her sister and the three adults went back to the public viewing areas. We then went back to where I had left my things, I washed my hands once more, and he led me back to the public area. Looking through the glass of the enclosure I had a new appreciation of these magnificent animals and learned several important things.

1) Always take up opportunities and don’t be afraid to do things on your own.

2) Never let someone’s flakiness ruin your fun.

3) Just because you are strong does not mean you need to prove it by hurting someone else.

4) Always provide a desirable distraction if you are going to do something where someone might try to intervene.

5) Up close you can appreciate the uniqueness of life.