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

words would have sounded cheap under the awning beside a man who had just refused comfort from the animal who loved him best.

So I said, “Tomorrow, let him try again.”

Tom’s mouth twisted. “That your clinical recommendation?”

“No. That’s my human one.”

The next morning, he came in before the rest of the crew.

I was in the records room, sorting footage for continue reading …