Growing up gorilla is just like any other kind of growing up. You make mistakes. You play. You learn. You do it all over again.

Especially when you're faced with hard times, you need to remember that life is either tragedy or comedy. For me, that's what the magic is. Life has remarkable, surprising moments that get you through the hard times.

Yes," he said. "You were strong. You were brave. You were good. You mattered.

They think we’re intelligent. So, Marco, keep quiet. We don’t want them to learn the truth.” Rachel

It's hard to put into words. Gorillas are not complainers. We're dreamers, poets, philosophers, nap takers.

Homework, I have discovered, involves a sharp pencil and thick books and long sighs.

A good zoo," Stella said, "is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans who don't hurt." She pauses, considering her words. "A good zoo is how humans make amends.