When the old keeper forgot one latch, the 400-pound silverback reached through the steel

as a person. His absence left a gap in the building that the rest of us kept stepping around. Miguel took over the morning routine, using the same calm voice, the same bucket order, the same slow approach to the mesh. He was good with Winston. He had always been good with him.

Winston accepted food from him and completed the behaviors he felt like completing.continue reading …