Gorilla immediately falls in love with terrified kitten

Here's the long-awaited sequel to Of Mice and Men, titled Of Kittens and Gorillas.

Koko, the gorilla famous for using sign language, received a cuddly birthday treat earlier this year when she was allowed to adopt two kittens: Ms Gray and Ms Black.

Though Ms Gray initially looked terrified clutched in the huge, hairy hand of her new keeper, she has nothing to fear. Koko has long been a gentle admirer of little kitties — she adopted her first kitten All-Ball in 1983 (the name was chosen by Koko herself), and the two later cuddled on the cover of National Geographic magazine. Nawww.

Sadly, All-Ball died after just six months with Koko (no, she wasn't accidentally crushed to death in a great ape's paw, you monster — she was hit by a car). The gorilla mourned her lost pet just as a human would, signing words for "cry", "frown", "sad" and "trouble" when she learned what had happened to All-Ball.

According to her keepers, Koko still "feels sad when she sees a photo of another kitten who reminds her of All-Ball". Um:

Despite her grief, Koko later adopted two more kittens, Lips Lipstick and Smoky, who she also named.

The Gorilla Foundation plans to continue updating the world about Koko's flourishing bond with Ms Gray and Ms Black. In the meantime the foundation is calling for donations to support gorilla conservation, which you can help out with here.

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