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

underweight for his age, furious, and so suspicious of human movement that even experienced staff found reasons to stand farther back. His knuckles were swollen from striking concrete. A healed scar pulled at the edge of his lip. He did not beg, perform, or soften for cameras.

For the first six months, he greeted Tom by slamming the ground.

Tom never continue reading …