***From the Archives of my life***

Making friends at the Zoo!
This is the story of how i Met
Baraka -
"Baraka was born at the National Zoo in 1992 to Haloko and Gus, but was raised by Mandara, who was discovered carrying him two hours after his birth. He went to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha in March 2004 and returned in late 2006. His full name is Baraka ya Mwelu, which means "blessing of light." " (national zoo)

He weighs more than 400 pounds.



the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha NE, has wonderful gorillas, one day (6/15/04) I spent time watching and trying to connect with one particular silver back Baraka. And we made friends. This is one of my favorite moments in the story of my life. I crouched in the window watching him, overting my eye when he looked at me and glacing at him just in time to catch him overt his eyes. I just sat calmly contemplating him and telling him with my "telepathy" that i wanted to be friends and that i understood that he could beat me to a pulp if he wanted to. But he didn't. He liked to run at the crowds of school kids and beat the glass. but he never ran at me he watched me for a long time as i watched him, and then he calmly came over and offered his friendship, I was very honored, especially after the treatment i had seen him give other zoo visitors. After we made friends he leaned on the glass with his face close to mine for a while and then we said good by and I left to visit some other animal. The moment of our happy agreement to be friends was captured by the video on my camera. I put it to the song Country Bumpkin by cal smith, just for fun because i like the song and the story it tells. ( i didn't have any songs about making friends with gorillas) * I am not 100% sure that this is Baraka but as far as I can research It makes the most since that it was him *

Lyrics to Country Bumpkin by Cal Smith

He walked into the bar and parked his lanky frame upon a tall barstool
And with a long soft Southern drawl said
"I'll just have a glass of anything that's cool"
A barroom girl with hard and knowing eyes slowly looked him up and down
And she thought "I wonder how on earth
That country bumpkin found his way to town"

She said "Hello, country bumpkin"
"How's the frost out on the pumpkin?"
"I've seen some sights but, man, you're somethin'"
"Where'd ya come from, country bumpkin?"

It was just a short year later in a bed of joy-filled tears yet death-like pain
Into this wondrous world of many wonders one more wonder came
That same woman's face was wrapped up
In a raptured look of love and tenderness
As she marveled at the soft and warm and cuddly boy-child feeding at her breast

And she said "Hello, country bumpkin"
"Fresh as frost out on the pumpkin"
"I've seen some sights but, babe, you're somethin'"
"Mamma loves her country bumpkin"

Forty years of hard work later in a simple, quiet and peaceful country place
The heavy hand of time had not erased
The raptured wonder from the woman's face
She was lying on her deathbed knowing fully well her race was nearly run
But she softly smiled and looked into the sad eyes of her husband and her son

And she said "So long, country bumpkin"
"The frost is gone now from on the pumpkin"
"I've seen some sights and life's been somethin'"
"See you later, country bumpkin"

She said "So long, country bumpkin"
"The frost is gone now from on the pumpkin"
FADE
"I've seen some sights and life's been somethin