At Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, a family experienced something unforgettable—an emotional encounter between two mothers from different worlds. Emmelina Austin and her husband Michael brought their 1-month-old baby, Canyon, to the zoo, never expecting to share a deeply moving moment with Kiki, a mother gorilla.
As the Austins approached the glass of the gorilla enclosure, Kiki gently came forward, her eyes locking onto baby Canyon. She softly touched the glass, her expression full of tenderness and curiosity—recognition, even. Then, in a moment that left onlookers speechless, Kiki brought over her own baby, 7-month-old Pablo, cradling him carefully on her leg as if introducing him to new friends.
“My wife held up our son to show to Kiki … then Kiki grabbed Pablo and put him on her leg to carry him over to us,” Michael told The Dodo. The two mothers sat on either side of the glass, silently connecting through the universal language of love and motherhood.
At one point, Pablo pressed his face to the glass, his nose nearly touching Emmelina’s. Tears filled their eyes. It didn’t matter that one was human and one was gorilla—what mattered was the bond.
A moment like this is rare, powerful, and unforgettable.
Sometimes, a difference really isn’t a difference at all — especially when it comes to the bonds of a mother’s love.
Just ask Emmelina Austin and her new friend, this gorilla mom named Kiki.
The other day, Austin and her family decided to pay a visit to the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston with their 1-month-old son, Canyon.
It was there, while stopping by the gorilla enclosure, that the Austins spotted Kiki in the company of her own child, a 7-month-old baby gorilla named Pablo.
“My wife mentioned that she felt like she could understand their bond and could see how much she cared for Pablo, since she is a mother now herself,” Michael Austin, Canyon’s dad, told The Dodo.
“My wife held up our son to show to Kiki, who was on the other side of the enclosure … then Kiki grabbed Pablo and put him on her leg to carry him over to us.”
