Gorilla thriller! (Photo courtesy Bill McAuley | billmcauleyphotographer.com)
Baby Gorilla Yakini hitching a ride on his mother's back, Melbourne Zoo, circa 2000.
Yakini became world-famous after surviving a C-section at Melbourne Zoo in 1999. The precious primate was much photographed while in intensive care.
A year later, I was at Melbourne Zoo on assignment to photograph a honeyeater and spotted Yakini on his mother's back through a crack in the fence while walking past the gorilla enclosure.
This chance encounter led to a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. What joy — to realise I had an extremely long 800mm telephoto lens attached to my Nikon, or this capture wouldn't have been possible!
**This photograph is part of a new IA series that looks at Australia through the lens of award-winning photojournalist, Bill McAuley.**
Bill McAuley's 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at 'The Age' in Melbourne.
Among other books, Bill McAuley has published the collection 'Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley'. To see more from Bill click here.
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