Mother and Child

I always hesitate to intrude on the intimacy of the gorilla baby's interactions with her mother (not that other people seem to share this concern, given the number of loud exclamations at and about the two of them), and yet witnessing that intimacy prompts the inevitable desire to try to record it in some way.

I love the tenderness and absorption in one another that they show:


And I also like seeing the watchfulness of the mother and the obliviousness of her baby to her admirers:


These photos were taken in mid-August, and Kibibi is wandering around more on her own now, but she is still always under the attentive eye of one or more of the gorillas—especially her mother. Their ability to maintain their very private affection even while they are, effectively, on display, is a source of great wonder to me. Could we humans manage it as well? (“Reality” TV suggests otherwise…)

{A note: I do write all text and take all pictures. Please do not reproduce either without my permission.}