Strong Bond: Gorilla orphan Ndakasi dies in the arms of caretaker

Created: 08/14/2022, 3:00 p.m

By: Jasmine Farah

For more than ten years, a keeper devotedly takes care of a female mountain gorilla.

Then she dies after a serious illness.

She will not be forgotten.

There are only a few mountain gorillas left in the world.

In the past they have often been victims of poachers.

In addition, their habitat has been destroyed by deforestation.

For this reason, they are even threatened with extinction.

They find a last refuge in the Virunga National Park in eastern Congo.

There live about 1,000 animals live in the border area of ​​Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo.

But last year, the small community lost a valuable member: gorilla orphan Ndakasi.

Strong Bond: Gorilla orphan Ndakasi dies in the arms of caretaker

As the Virunga National Park reports on its official Facebook page, the gorilla lady is said to have died last September.

After a long illness, her health quickly deteriorated and she closed her eyes forever in the arms of her favorite carer Andre.

The heartbreaking image went viral at the time and has since garnered over 17,000 likes, more than 2,000 comments and nearly 4,000 shares.

Below the picture, in which the gorilla orphan, who has lived in Virunga National Park for more than ten years, clings tightly to her carer and best friend, is a touching obituary.

Among other things, it is about the special relationship between animals and humans.

Strong bond: gorilla orphan Ndakasi was immortalized in the picture

In 2007, Ndasaki came to Virunga National Park's sanctuary, which specifically cares for orphaned baby gorillas.

Apparently, Ndasaki was found alone in the wild when he was just two months old.

She clung to the body of her mother, who had been killed by poachers.

According to this, caretaker Andre is said to have been with the frightened gorilla baby the first night and since then have lovingly taken care of Ndasaki.

And although mountain gorillas can live to be around 40 to 45 years old, the female gorilla only lived to be 14 because of her illness.

But her memory lives on.

A Congolese artist named John-Primo is showing artworks and portraits in his exhibition 'Yesterday to Now', one of which also shows nurse Andre smiling, carrying Ndasaki on his back.

This image will certainly remain unforgotten for many.