“Aww, they’re friends!”
Guest Alex Phillips noticed something unexpected while visiting the gorilla area at the Detroit Zoo the other day.
It was a sweet insight into an odd friendship.
Phillips noticed a wild groundhog burrowing her way into the gorilla enclosure while looking into the gorilla enclosure. She’d come out of the grassy ground to have a look around.
Phillips, though, was not the only one who noticed.
As he and the other guests looked on, the resident gorilla approached the much smaller visitor – and proceeded to pet her. “Aww, they’re pals!” exclaimed one onlooker.
Here’s a video of that moment:
“I thought it was just cute!” Phillips informed us.
Phillips believes the groundhog has been living in the gorilla enclosure for some time after seeing her there on a previous visit. And, based on her apparent ease around the gorilla, it wasn’t the pair’s first amicable meeting.
“This was one of those instances that I had to record,” Phillips explained.
Despite popular misconceptions, gorillas are incredibly bright, complex animals with a surprisingly soft and gentle side, just like their human counterparts.
“Typically, gorillas are regarded as quite violent, mean animals,” Phillips added. “However, this demonstrates that their default appears to be more curious than anything else.”
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