They had even begun to greet her by rubbing noses, a sign of their newfound closeness. To properly assess Lola’s condition, Dr. Gerard realized he needed to build trust not only with her but also with the entire gorilla group.
This meant he had to establish a rapport with all the gorillas living in the enclosure. At first, his attempts to get close were met with hostility; the gorillas even picked up stones as a sign of aggression when they first saw him.