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Last weekend we took a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. The weather was nice, so we figured we should go before the hellish summer heat gets here.

Since our last trip to this zoo they have really improved the gorilla habitat. Frankly, I don’t even remember what it was like, as it was 16 years ago. But the new enclosure is very cool. They actually have two groups of gorillas there.

While I think that obviously a magnificent animal like the silverback in these pictures shouldn’t be in captivity, I realize that they are often killed by poachers in the wild, so I think it is good to keep some of the species in captivity, in nice “natural” enclosures.

The new gorilla habitat has some large plexiglass windows through which you can get a good close look at the animals. We were lucky to be there when the silverback was sitting right up against the glass — amazing! Just watching him watch us was really very moving. Looking into his eyes — you just feel the need to communicate with him. The sense of kinship is so strong. I found myself wondering that kind of consciousness he possesses. What does he feel?

We watched him and the other gorillas for a while. Here’s a little movie.

We had a good time watching the chimps too. As the closest living relatives to our species, they are just fascinating to see. Then we watched the gibbons for a while. Pretty cool. Next time I’ll get video of them too.