Gorilla Orphanage

Author: Kiyomi Okano
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: With a longing for life in Africa, a passion for her profession, and a dream of witnessing the gentle eyes of animals, the female primatologist Kiyomi Okano, at the age of 32, took her 6-year-old daughter to the Congo to participate in the plan to return orphaned gorillas to the forest. In that sanctuary for gorilla babies who had lost their parents to theft, they cared for the gorillas together, changing their diapers, feeding them milk, and raising them. Later, Kiyomi Okano turned these five years of personal experiences into a dialogue between humans and gorillas, detailing many little-known aspects of her interactions with the gorillas, as well as the hardships and joys she encountered. Here, humans are just the background, while the true owners are the gorillas. They have lost their parents and homes due to human actions, yet they carry hearts more sensitive than humans. With the arduous help of people, they grow through difficult journeys. Some are brave, some timid; some are clever, some emotional; some are lucky, some unlucky. Their society seems even more interesting than that of humans because they present themselves without reservation. Throughout their long evolution, they have closely followed humans, which has given them the mindset of a runner-up to the champion. They accept defeat but refuse to give in, weaving fascinating yet sorrowful stories in their interactions with humans.