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Octopus Publishing Group Paperback English
Gorillas in Our Midst
A Zookeeper’s Tale of Hand-Rearing Baby Gorillas as featured on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live
By Alan Toyne
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Step into the fascinating world of Bristol Zoo with Alan Toyne, a dedicated zookeeper and primate expert whose extraordinary story of hand-rearing two baby gorillas will warm your heart When Afia, a newborn Western Lowland Gorilla, is rejected by her mother Kera after a difficult birth, her human keepers must start the challenging - but rewarding - experience of hand-rearing her themselves. Teaching her the ropes of life in the Gorilla House at Bristol Zoo is tricky enough. But providing 24/7 care for a baby gorilla means Alan must hand-rear Afia in his own home too, an experience that forges a remarkable emotional bond between the two of them over the course of many sleepless nights. Soon a second baby gorilla, Hasani, is facing rejection from his mother, and Alan and his colleagues must embark on a daring mission to train Kera - now recovered but socially isolated - to become Hasani's surrogate mother. Can she learn to protect and love Hasani as her own, in a way she couldn't for Afia? Can she find her maternal instincts and claim a place within the troop at last? With a vibrant cast of characters - from the volatile Silverback Jock to the mysterious Sal and the stately Romi - Gorillas in Our Midst offers a unique glimpse into the intricate world of primate social dynamics, in all their complicated, human-like glory. More than just a behind-the-scenes look at zoo life, this thought-provoking and heart-warming memoir is a testament to the enduring bonds between humans and animals, and to the power of resilience and compassion.
Step into the fascinating world of Bristol Zoo with Alan Toyne, a dedicated zookeeper and primate expert whose extraordinary story of hand-rearing two baby gorillas will warm your heart
When Afia, a newborn Western Lowland Gorilla, is rejected by her mother Kera after a difficult birth, her human keepers must start the challenging - but rewarding - experience of hand-rearing her themselves. Teaching her the ropes of life in the Gorilla House at Bristol Zoo is tricky enough. But providing 24/7 care for a baby gorilla means Alan must hand-rear Afia in his own home too, an experience that forges a remarkable emotional bond between the two of them over the course of many sleepless nights.
Soon a second baby gorilla, Hasani, is facing rejection from his mother, and Alan and his colleagues must embark on a daring mission to train Kera - now recovered but socially isolated - to become Hasani's surrogate mother. Can she learn to protect and love Hasani as her own, in a way she couldn't for Afia? Can she find her maternal instincts and claim a place within the troop at last?
With a vibrant cast of characters - from the volatile Silverback Jock to the mysterious Sal and the stately Romi - Gorillas in Our Midst offers a unique glimpse into the intricate world of primate social dynamics, in all their complicated, human-like glory. More than just a behind-the-scenes look at zoo life, this thought-provoking and heart-warming memoir is a testament to the enduring bonds between humans and animals, and to the power of resilience and compassion.