Gorilla Reunion

This heart-tugging video captured the extraordinary reunion of two old friends: a man and the gorilla he raised from infancy.

It had been five years since British naturalist Damian Aspinall had seen Kwibi, a lowland gorilla who was born at Howletts Wild Animal Park in England as part of an ongoing conservation program by the Aspinall Foundation to re-introduce gorillas back into the wilds of Africa.

Several years after Kwibi was released to live in Gabon, West Africa, Aspinall traveled there to see if he could catch a glimpse of his old friend. Cameras captured the scene as Aspinall glided down the river calling out to Kwibi, “C’mon! C’mon!” Incredibly, Kwibi appeared on the bank. “He heard my voice and came to the edge of the river,” Aspinall explained in the video.

What happened next is astounding. Aspinall approached Kwibi cautiously. After all, the gorilla is a wild animal and he hadn’t seen the naturalist in many years. And yet, Kwibi recognized Aspinall. “The moment I heard his deep, rumbling love gurgle, I knew I was OK,” explained Aspinall. Kwibi nuzzled his face close to Aspinall, then wrapped his hairy arms around the man, refusing to let him go.

First published at pawnation.com