Editorial

A GENTLE GORILLA SAVES A BOY

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Who could help but be touched by the story of a gorilla who rescued a 3-year-old boy after he fell onto the concrete floor of the gorilla exhibit at a zoo in a Chicago suburb? There is something about this kind of action that ennobles animals in the minds of the superior animals, human beings.

Visitors who have seen gorillas in their native habitat report that it is clear why gorillas get whatever they want. The large creatures have the physical ability to dominate the jungle. Yet studies made famous by longtime gorilla watcher Jane Goodall showed that gorillas have a gentle nature and a complex social life.

The parents of the small boy who fell into the clutches of the gorillas at the zoo will be forever thankful that the mother gorilla, with her own infant on her back, chose to come to his rescue. And the rest of us will marvel at the serene heroism of a creature capable of physical violence.