The nation — and perhaps even those assembled — could not appreciate the gravity of the encounter. It was a swampy, humid affair, the sort of clime amenable to western lowland gorillas and governors of Texas.

One was the hero-genetrix, the hero-mother. The other, a leader of men. She was Kayla, the mother of Harambe. He was George W. Bush.

The Texas governor squatted beside the primate at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville in July 1996, nearly 20 years to the day before Harambe was tragically slain at the Cincinnati Zoo. The words, grunts, and hurled feces they exchanged are lost to history, alongside the name of the intrepid photographer who captured the summit. The photos were preserved in an online archive at Riosmith.net. (RELATED: PGA Golfer Honors Harambe With Customized Clubs)

BREAKING: Here’s a Photo of George W. Bush Posing with Harambe’s Mom: https://t.co/GrcMJAVFz9 pic.twitter.com/6k6Z5vx2Hc — Esquire (@esquire) August 12, 2016

Shortly after Bush became president, Kayla died at the zoo. She was exposed to dampened chlorine tablets, creating a toxic fume that left three gorillas dead. Local press described the calamity as an “unfortunate incident.” The Daily Caller News Foundation was unable to confirm the former president’s whereabouts on that sorry day.

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