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“I felt sorry for Willie B.,” Maple said. “He was a big, handsome fellow, and
he had to be the loneliest gorilla in the world.” Soon after taking the job as
director, Dr. Maple took an expedition to the Congo to see how gorillas
lived in the wild. He returned from Africa on a mission, eager to make
changes for Willie B.’s sake.

16 Dr. Maple convinced a corporate sponsor to build an African rain forest
at Zoo Atlanta. The new exhibit would house up to twenty-five gorillas in

four areas separated by transparent walls and include an outdoor area for
them. Just as in the wild, the gorillas would live in groups with one
silverback, a few females, and hopefully some youngsters. On May 13, 1988,
for the first time in twenty-seven years, Willie B. was ready to make his
grand entrance into the outside world—in the newly finished outdoor
exhibit. Zoo staff, visitors, and the media excitedly waited for the big
moment when Willie B. would leave his home of concrete and bars for one
of grass and sky.

17 Willie B. stayed in the doorway of his cage for a while, cautiously
peering out. He touched the ground a few times before he gained the
confidence to explore the new territory. With his friend Charles Horton

close by, coaxing him and telling him not to be afraid, Willie B. took a few
steps forward into the rain-forest exhibit. His head remained statue-like on
his massive neck, while he looked cautiously to the right and to the left.
For the first time in almost three decades, Willie B. got to see the blue sky
and the green grass and to inhale a breath of fresh, springtime air. (And
yes, gorillas do see in color.)

Even in his new outdoor
enclosure, Willie B. spent
most of his time
watching people.

territory Territory is an area of land.
coaxing If you were coaxing someone, you were gently
trying to convince that person to do something.

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