On March 21, 2020, a star was born. Monty the Humboldt penguin was out for a stroll with his keeper Ellie Cullip across the grounds of the Santa Barbara Zoo, which had recently closed to visitors, when he met Bangori the lowland gorilla.
Monty waddled toward the glass wall of the big ape’s enclosure. Bangori stopped and stared. Monty gazed back, shuffling his feet. For 14 relatively quiet seconds, other than the gentle chirping of birds in the background, the two calmly regarded one another.
As the world swirled and buckled under a growing pandemic, it was a moment of peace. It felt a little Bambi-like, as if neighborhood creatures were sharing a quick hello. The wordless exchange was caught on Instagram, and 75,000 people watched. Monty was on his way.
