On Aug. 16, 1996, a 3-year-old boy fell into
the gorilla's den at the Brookfield Zoo. A female gorilla, Binti Jua,
protected the boy until zookeepers could rescue him. Binti walked to the
boy while helpless spectators screamed, believing that
she was going to harm the child; but instead, she picked him up,
cradled and protected him, and carried him 60 ft to an access entrance
so that workers could safely retrieve him from her.
Think about this for a minute. She was imprisoned by humans, yet she was still intelligent enough to see that an infant human needed protection. That is true empathy. Why can't all humans show her the same empathy?
Think about this for a minute. She was imprisoned by humans, yet she was still intelligent enough to see that an infant human needed protection. That is true empathy. Why can't all humans show her the same empathy?