Gorillas in Our Midst

A Zookeeper's Tale of Hand-Rearing Baby Gorillas

By: Alan Toyne

Narrated by: Oliver J. Hembrough

When Afia, a newborn Western Lowland Gorilla, is rejected by her mother Kera after a difficult birth, her human keepers start the challenging but rewarding experience of hand-rearing her themselves. Teaching her the ropes of life in the Gorilla House at Bristol Zoo is tricky enough. But providing 24/7 care for a baby gorilla means Alan must hand-rear Afia in his own home too, forging a remarkable emotional bond between them over the course of many sleepless nights.

Soon a second baby gorilla, Hasani, is facing rejection, and Alan and his colleagues must embark on a daring mission to train Kera—recovered but isolated—to become Hasani's surrogate mother. Can she find her maternal instincts and claim a place within the troop at last? Gorillas in Our Midst offers a unique glimpse into the world of primate social dynamics, in all their complicated, human-like glory.

©2025 Alan Toyne (P)2025 Oakhill