The beloved mountain gorilla, who rose to international fame after posing for a viral photo with a ranger fighting poaching, died recently at the age of 14. The man who had saved the beautiful creature as a child held her in his arms as she died.
In a terrible snapshot uploaded on Instagram by Virunga National Park, the two longtime pals can be seen cuddling. Ndakasi was last seen placing her head on Andre Bauma, her caregiver and guardian, before she died. A couple of years ago, the two became viral after taking a selfie.
Ndakasi, like all the other monkeys in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, exemplified tenacity and optimism. Ndakasi was taken to the Senkwekwe Center at Viruga Park when she was only two months old. She was saved by park rangers after losing her mother to poaching as well.
Viruga’s mountain gorillas are an endangered species that is being safeguarded by almost 600 dedicated rangers who are always willing to put their lives on the line to defend these gentle giants.The lovely friendship between Ndakasi and Andre demonstrates the rangers’ profound and unique bond with these innocent beings!
