Gus, a baby gorilla, was special from the moment he was born. His sheer existence is a miracle considering the face that western lowland gorillas are listed as critically endangered.
He’s also the first gorilla born at Texas’ Forth Worth Zoo in its 107-year history.
Advertisement
So, everyone was extremely excited when he was born. Not only because he’s so special but because who doesn’t love babies?
“Everyone loves babies. I mean, everyone with a soul loves babies. And that’s why when there is a new baby at the Fort Worth Zoo, we all get a little excited.”
“So when the Fort Worth Zoo told us, months in advance, that they were expecting the birth of a western lowland gorilla, we began developing a launch plan to make the announcement,” Schaefer AD Co. wrote on their website.
Especially when it comes to growth and development.
They had no idea that Gus’s encounter with a 2-year-old toddler would create the perfect publicity opportunity to compliment their campaign.
The photo of 5-month-old Gus and the toddler named Braylee playing Patty Cake through a glass wall quickly went viral.
A photo of these playmates spread all across the world.
A video about the story was viewed on Inside Edition’s YouTube page more than 3.5 million times.
“These two are so cute as they press their palms together through the glass enclosure. Gus is 5- month-old Iowland gorilla with a story for the books. The animal is listed as critically endangered.”
“He’s also the first gorilla born at the Fort Worth Zoo in its 107 year history. As Gus gets older, he likes to experience the world around him which includes encounters like this one,” the video’s caption reads.
The photo shows the toddler crouching at the knees a bit so that she can place her hands on the glass where Gus has his on the other side.
It illustrates the beauty of babies, regardless of whether they are human or animal.
Also, seeing how tiny Gus is compared to the toddler is just too freaking cute.
But Gus has always been adorable and extremely loveable.
There was a huge contest when he was born to select his name, which had more than 8,800 votes.
Participants got to choose between Grover, Gus, and Mosi.
“Local celebrities also endorsed their favorite name and TCU’s SuperFrog actively campaigned on behalf of Gus,” the zoo said, according to WFAA.
“However, once Pittsburg State got wind of the contest, they encouraged their students to vote for the name that happens to share the name of their mascot, Gus the Gorilla.
“Within 24 hours, Gus surged from third place to first, surpassing Mosi and Grover.”
Gus is now older and a big boy. But not too old to hang out with his parents Elmo and Gracie.
He still loves them just as much as he did when they brought him into this world.
And when he was a 5-month-old making new friends.