The Gorilla in the Room

Full Episode description

Radiolab for kids is back! 

Is there such a thing as a good cage? Happy gorillas, deft landscape architects and neurologists show us that there just might be. We go back to the late 1970s to relive the moment when zoos began to change—literally the moment that the modern zoo was born, as embodied by a few tentative steps of a gorilla named Kiki. That story, told by zoo director David Hancocks, architect Grant Jones, and gorilla keeper Violet Sunde. 

Also check out:

Marina Belozerskaya’s book 

The Medici Giraffe

Radiolab is produced by Jad Abumrad. Ellen Horne, senior producer. Lulu Miller assistant producer. Production executive Dean Cappello, Production support by Sarah Pellegrini, Bret Baier, Scott Goldberg, Alaska Keyville, Sam Leviander, Avir Mitra, Ryan Scamole and Jacob Weinberg. Also, very special thanks to Tamar Llewellyn, and Amy Bush’s class at Northstar Academy for their musical contributions.

Visit the Terrestrials website to learn more about the show, meet our team,  listen to the songs and discover fun activities, drawing prompts, music how-tos, and games that educators, parents, and families might enjoy together. 

If you’d like to “badger” a future expert, suggest story ideas or feedback, email us at terrestrials@wnyc.org. 

Go here for  ‘just the songs” 

Support for Terrestrials is provided by the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Kalliopeia Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation.