Gorilla Fosters Three Kittens

Creatures of all sizes can have an impact on a community. If you don’t believe that then all you need to do is ask Koko the gorilla who is acting as a foster mum to three kittens called Bear, Mia and Vaida. Julie St Gregory of the San Jose Animal Care Centre in California says the kitten’s interaction with the gorilla has definitely made them less scared by socialising them. She says when you are being held by a giant gorilla, very few other things will make you afraid.

Koko has previous experience fostering

Ms St Gregory said that that her organisation had a regular foster who had taken in the three kittens which were 2 months old. The foster also volunteers with The Gorilla Foundation and because Koko is famous for her ability to communicate in sign language and has previous experience fostering kittens, the shelter was up for allowing her to introduce Koko to the kittens. It has to be said that Koko’s interaction with the three kittens are supervised and Ms St Gregory believes that the interaction is good for both the gorilla and the kittens.

Strong maternal instinct

She adds that whilst the kittens need fostering, Koko finds them very stimulating, however after the kittens get larger Koko loses interest. Koko has never given birth to any of her own offspring, but definitely has a strong maternal instinct proven by the way she cares for other animals.