After nearly three years apart, two gorilla brothers are reunited in this heartwarming moment. One of the monkeys was moved to another zoo as part of a breeding effort, so the two primates were separated. Now they’ve reunited at the UK’s Longleat Safari Park, and they appear to be relishing every moment of their reunion.
The zoo’s staff was worried that the two siblings wouldn’t know each other at first, but the moment they met shocked everyone. The touching scene was captured on camera, and it shows Kesho and his younger brother, Alf, hugging and shaking hands as though they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. The two brothers even appear to be sharing a joke at the same time!
The gorillas’ keeper, Mark Tye, stated, “We weren’t sure the brothers would even recognize each other, but the moment they met, you could just feel the recognition in their eyes.” “They were quite energetic, and there was quite a bit of roughhousing on the floor.”
The improbable occurrence caught everyone off guard because such occurrences are extremely rare among silverback gorillas. Even though they are members of the same family, gorilla males are territorial animals who are exceedingly violent with each other.
“That kind of infantile behavior in a silverback is extremely unique,” Tye added. “Having an older brother to look up to and learn from is fantastic for Alf, and Kesho seemed to like being the center of attention. It was gratifying to witness.”
Here’s where you can see the adorable moment:
