Goodbye to Ndakasi, the "selfie" gorilla died hugging her keeper and friend of all time at Virunga National Park

Ndakasi, the world famous gorilla for taking selfies with the Virunga National Park rangers, has died in the arms of her keeper

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

She died in the arms of her keeper and lifelong friend Ndakasi, the gorilla who became famous all over the world for the selfies taken with the rangers of the Virunga National Park where she had been welcomed, cared for and raised for almost 10 years. She was only two months old when the rangers found her clinging to the helpless body of her mother, killed by her poachers.

You may remember when, in 2019, the photos of some rangers of the Virunga park in Congo, taken in the company of their mountain gorilla friends, had been around the web. Some symbolic photos that had rekindled the important theme of the protection of these animals, whose survival is endangered every day by poachers. (Read also: The fantastic selfie with the gorillas posing with the rangers who protect them every day from poachers)

Goodbye to Ndakasi, the

Among them was Ndakasi, a 14-year-old gorilla who sadly is now dead. The sad announcement was made by Virunga National Park itself, which also published the heartbreaking photo of Ndakasi's last moments on Facebook.

It is with heartfelt sadness that Virunga announces the death of beloved orphaned mountain gorilla, Ndakasi, who had…

Posted by Virunga National Park on Tuesday, October 5, 2021

On the site of the park we find summarized the whole story of this gorilla who, after a difficult and traumatic start to life, has been lovingly welcomed and cared for and now, embraced by those who have loved her for so many years, its keeper André Bauman, he left this world.

Ndakasi was only two months old when Virunga rangers found her clinging to her mother's lifeless body, killed by armed militiamen. From a very young age, therefore, she had been entrusted to the care of a recovery center and it was André herself who had kept her close to him all night against her bare chest to give her warmth and comfort.

Thanks to this Ndakasi managed to survive, but the trauma of the loss of her family was felt and a long period of rehabilitation was necessary which made the gorilla too vulnerable to return to the wild.

Ndakasi's life has been well described in several films and documentaries, including the one about Virunga where the gorilla is seen laughing with laughter while a caretaker tickles her. Then in 2019, thanks to a selfie taken in the company of her human friends, Ndakasi became famous all over the world.

On the evening of September 26, however, following a prolonged illness in which her condition rapidly worsened, Ndakasi died, comforted once again by the loving arms of Andrè, who wanted to pay homage to her friend with these words:

It has been a privilege to support and care for such a loving creature, especially knowing the trauma that Ndakasi endured at an early age. He could be said to have taken from his mother, Nyiransekuye, whose name means 'someone happy to welcome others'. It was Ndakasi's sweet nature and intelligence that helped me understand the connection between humans and Great Monkeys and why we should do everything in our power to protect them. I am proud to have called Ndakasi my friend. I loved her like a little girl and her cheerful personality made me smile every time I interacted with her. All of us at Virunga will miss her, but we will forever be grateful for the wealth Ndakasi brought into our lives during her time in Senkwekwe.

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Fonte: Virunga National Park