Zookeeper Goes Viral After Introducing Her Newborn Baby To A 3-Year-Old Gorilla
One zookeeper named Kate just could not stay away from work while on maternity leave. Ten weeks into her leave, she went back to visit the zoo– and even brought her newborn baby.
Something unexpected happened, though. A three-year-old gorilla that Kate cares for became entranced by new baby. She went viral on TikTok after sharing the sweet encounter.
“When your zookeeper visits while on maternity leave: the three-year-old gorilla is obsessed with the new baby,” she captioned the video.
While Kate stood outside the glassed-off enclosure, with her baby on her chest, the gorilla made her way over to the window. He then sat right up against the glass and gazed at the new baby before reaching up to give Kate a kiss.
The TikTok community went bananas over the gorilla’s genuine display of emotion. Kate’s video reached one million people and garnered nearly one hundred and twenty-five thousand likes.
“Gorillas have such human-like eyes filled with so much soul. I almost feel bad they are in cages. Such beautiful animals and such a cute video,” one user wrote. Her comment received nearly five thousand likes.
“It’s like she is proud of you and reaches up to tell you, ‘Good job, mom!'” another user observed.
“This is the sweetest video. Thank you for sharing something so positive when the world has so much negative at the moment,” a third user said.
TikTok; pictured above is Kate with her baby and one of the gorillas she works with
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After the outpouring of love, Kate posted another video from the interaction. This time, she showed the aftermath of the loving moment.
The gorilla’s baby brother approached the glass and appeared a bit jealous of the newborn.
“Incoming! The baby of the troop is here, and he has some feelings about another baby getting attention from me and her big sis!” Kate captioned the video.
She also jokingly added, “Someone’s not the littlest baby in my world anymore…”
TikTokers everywhere got a sweet glimpse into their gorilla familial dynamic and learned just how similar the emotions of gorillas are to humans.
“This is such a sibling reaction to have! She is like, ‘Okay, relax already,’ and just swipes the baby away. Her face is so over it, haha,” one user said.
“Sibling rivalry at its finest,” another user joked.
Kate’s videos did not stop there, though. She wanted her TikTok followers to know that she loves working with gorillas so much that her home decor is even inspired by it.
She posted a third TikTok following the popular trend “things in our house that just make sense,” but added, “when you work with gorillas.”
Kate then showed a wall lined with paintings made by gorillas, a gold gorilla statue, her books on primates and animal behavior, a custom-made gorilla bookshelf for her newborn, primate-inspired baby toys, and more.
“Can you tell that I love gorillas?” Kate asked her TikTok followers.
People from around the world loved that her passion translated into adorable interior design.
“To say that I am OBSESSED is an understatement!” one user commented.
Other users are utterly intrigued by her career and lifestyle. Many have asked Kate to share more about her background, education, and experience as a zookeeper.
Lucky for us, she plans to share all of this information and more in a series of upcoming TikTok videos.
To learn more about Kate, gorillas, and zoology in general, visit her TikTok here!
@maitekate 10 weeks into maternity leave, and she immediately comes over to meet the baby and give her zookeeper a kiss #newborn #gorilla #fyp #workingmom #baby
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