Robin turned the Gorilla exhibit at the Bronx Zoo upside down today when a female gorilla saw her and came over to see her and talk to her and touch hands through the glass.

Everyone at the exhibit was shocked and gathered close to see this beautiful and rare thing, taking their own photos and yelling at their children to come and watch.

This went on for more than ten minutes, and Emma took some photos and sent them to me.

I called Robin when she got home, and she was excited and proud; I think she will remember it all of her life. “Grandpa,” she said, “she talked and talked to me! I think she was telling me about her life.”

Emma said Robin never flitched or backed away; there was a connection between her and the gorilla that was poignant and powerful, as the pictures show.

I so wonder what was happening in that gorilla’s mind.

Looking at Robin’s face on Facetime, I saw another example of the power animals have to enter our hearts and souls and transform us. She was aglow, excited, and deeply touched.

I’ve never seen her like that.

Emma has done such a remarkable job of loving her and caring for her.

I was supposed to reunite with Robin and Emma today at the Bronx Zoo after all of us got our vaccinations, but I had to cancel Friday due to some sudden health issues.

I last saw my remarkable granddaughter more than a year ago, at the same zoo the day before the country shut down due to Covid-19 last year.

I was very much looking forward to today; hopefully, we can meet in a couple of weeks.

Emma was near tears in describing the encounter, and Robin was touched and transfixed by it; we talked about it for a long time. She is becoming so articulate and self-possessed.

A new study has found that today’s gorillas may be smarter than their human ancestors. 

I regret not seeing this, but I am grateful Emma got such good and revealing pictures. She may not know it yet, but she is a photographer through and through.