No one could hold back their tears. The gorilla sat beside him, still holding him, rocking gently back and forth, making quiet, almost human-like sounds — as if speaking to him.

A few minutes later, the man closed his eyes, and the staff understood that he had fallen asleep forever.

The gorilla sat beside him for a long time, motionless, and when the zookeepers tried to take the body away, it wouldn’t let them — it growled, protecting him, until it was sure they carried him away gently and with respect.