Ndakasi the gorilla was rescued from the Congolese wilderness in 2007 when she was only a 2-month-old baby
She was saved by rangers from the Virunga National Park after being found clutching the deceased body of her mother who had become a victim of poachers.
Regardless of this, her story is one of love and kindness.
Ndakasi was taken to the park’s gorilla orphanage where she met her lifelong caretaker Andre Bauma.
Bauma never left her side the first night she was at the orphanage and made sure she felt comforted at all times.
“Through a torrential rainstorm that lasted all night, Andre held baby Ndakasi tightly to his bare chest to keep her warm and give her comfort,” wrote the park.
She managed to survive the night, and thanks to Bauma and the other staff at the orphanage, Ndakasi grew up to live a happy and healthy life.
A series of selfies that went viral after the park shared them on social media was captured in 2019 with Bauma and Ndakasi.
Despite living a happy and healthy life, Ndakasi’s had unfortunately come to an early end due to illness at the age of 14.
Caretakers at the orphanage announced it on their social media, and even in her final moments, she was exuding love
“Ndakasi took her final breath in the loving arms of her caretaker and lifelong friend, Andre Bauma.”
Ndakasi’s legacy will live on, and the efforts of the kind staff who gave her a second chance at life will continue.
“There is a bond that ties us together,” Bauma said. “A relationship that is very, very close between the guardians and the gorillas.”
