Orphaned Gorilla is one of the creatures that one can take the responsibility for. Gorillas are one of the biggest apes that dwell on the Earth. Most of these animals thrive on vegetables and plants.
They live on the ground and are predominantly found in Africa. A very interesting fact about gorillas is that they are very much similar to humans. The structure of their genes has a high resemblance to that of humans. The DNA of these animals has up to a ninety-five percent match with the human DNA.
Gorillas are the closest relatives alive after the chimpanzees. Thus, taking up the responsibility of an orphaned gorilla is a noble thing to do. It is almost like being responsible for an orphaned child. The national park of Virunga did just that. The park is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The authorities found a female gorilla in the woods. The gorilla was an orphan. They immediately took her in and nourished her with care. The rangers at the national park named her Ndakasi. Ndakasi grew up to be a favorite ape of everyone.
Unfortunately, the beloved gorilla is no more. The park authorities have announced that the gorilla has died. The news of her death was confirmed on 26th September. The ape was fourteen years old at the time of her death. According to inputs shared by the authorities, the gorilla was suffering from a prolonged illness.
Read: Baby Gorilla Raised By Surrogate Mother Turns One
Andre Bauma is one of the caretakers at the National Park. He had been the one who was involved in the day-to-day activity with the gorilla. After her demise, Bauma became very sad. He reminisced about the day when he found her in the woods.
Bauma stated that it was fourteen years ago that Ndakasi was found. Andre saw the little one hugging her mother. The two-month-old ape had no idea that her mother was no more.
On further inspection, it was found that Ndakasi’s mother suffered a bullet injury that led to her death. Let us learn more about the orphaned gorilla in detail below.
Orphaned Gorilla: Selfie Lover No More
Bauma reflected that Ndakasi’s mother was probably killed by some militia. On seeing the helpless ape, the caretaker knew what he had to do. He initially caressed the bare chest of the baby gently. This gave a sense of comfort to the ape.
The gorilla was later transferred to the Senkwekwe Center in the year 2009. Ndakasi was nurtured by Bauma throughout her life. The center of Senkwekwe was exclusively structured to provide shelter to vulnerable animals.
There were many other mountain gorillas at the center who lost their parents in childhood. However, Ndakasi was very much different from the other apes. She was the star of the park. The ape was very much popular with the tourists and also featured regularly in shows.
Ndakasi was also featured in a documentary film named “Virunga”. The ape became a huge sensation on the internet in 2019. This was the year that her love for selfies came into existence. One of the caretakers, Mathieu Shamavu was casually taking selfies inside the park.
Read: Caring Gorilla Takes Care Of Injured Bird, Wins Hearts On The Internet
However, in one of the pictures, Ndakasi was spotted posing along with Shamavu. She looked at the camera and relaxed her belly purposefully. This picture became viral instantly and everyone began talking about the orphaned gorilla.
Orphaned Gorilla Death Leaves Her Caretaker Sad
The demise of the orphaned gorilla has left Bauma heartbroken. He had been spending his daily life with this ape. He stated that he loved caring for the ape.
Bauma also reflected on how sweet and loving the ape was. He also praised the intelligence of Ndakasi that made her more adorable. The ape became more like a child to the caretaker. It was the loving gestures of the ape that made Bauma cheerful.
The caretaker also stressed the importance of conserving the species of gorillas. The national park at Virunga provides shelters to a number of mountain gorillas. The population of the gorillas has declined drastically over the years.
It is high time we step up towards their conservation before the apes get extinct.
