Gorilla Keepers

In 1982 I was hired into the Ape House as a gorilla-keeper by then head-keeper Diana Frisch. It was the dream of a lifetime and I will forever be in her debt for taking a chance on me. Let me tell you a story about a gorilla that we both worked with.

Mac had a sweet nature, extremely laid back. His eyesight was a bit iffy and he had a tendency to glance at you from the side, peering as if trying to focus.  Early on I learned just how laid back he was. He was very particular in which order he received his food in the morning preferring his celery sticks before his lettuce. I made the huge mistake once of doing the opposite, giving him the lettuce first.  Mac grabbed my arm pulled it through the cage bars, held it while he looked intently at me and then let go. He could have easily inflicted a bite wound or broken my arm but he made his point and was satisfied. I never made that mistake again.

In 1984, during renovations of the existing Ape House, Mac was housed at the old zoo hospital. As we could transfer him from one cage to another (something we were not able to do in the Ape House, hence the renovation) we were able to give hay as bedding - which could be removed later during cleaning. One day Diana called me on the walkie-talkie asking me to come down to the hospital. As I entered she motioned for me to come closer but to remain quiet. Gorillas have a wide array of vocalizations to communicate with one another, in the past Mac did his usual greeting vocalization to us but rarely anything else. Diana had given Mac about a 1/3 of a bale of hay, he was so engrossed in making a nest that he was oblivious to us. As I drew closer to his cage I heard soft uninterrupted rumbling  vocalizations as if he were having a conversation with himself as he created a beautiful circular nest, with high walls and a cozy deep center. Every few minutes he would step into the nest as if to ascertain the shape and height, then step out and make adjustments, adding to, shaking out and fluffing up his hay - all the time talking to himself. He had not had bedding material since taken from the forests of west Africa 30 plus years prior. 

Mac was transformed, absorbed in the work at hand seemingly transported back to his African home. He was doing what all gorillas will do when given the proper materials, make a proper sleeping nest. By the time it was finished it was truly a masterpiece - perfect in every way. Both Diana and I  were humbled at having witnessed such a transformation as well as being a bit teary-eyed as we left Mac to his memories. 

Mac died a few years after the nest building episode. Diana passed away a little over a week ago. She was part of a 4-member keeper team at the Columbus Zoo in the 1980’s that forever changed the way we perceive gorillas, the way we house and treat them, the way we value them just for being the remarkable creatures that they are.  Diana, say hello to Mac for me when you see him …….