Gorilla whose photobomb went viral dies in the arms of her caretaker at the age of 14

The mountain gorilla who went viral for photobombing a park ranger’s selfie has died at the age of 14. A statement from the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Tuesday that Ndakazi breathed her last in the arms of her caretaker and lifelong friend, Andre Bauma. The statement adds that she died last month after a prolonged illness at the park’s Senkwekwe Center where she had lived for more than a decade.

Ndakasi was cared for by Bauma ever since she was found clinging to her dead mother’s body by rangers and taken to the center known for caring for orphaned mountain gorillas, according to the statement. In a series of killings of gorilla families, her mother was shot by armed militia, the report said.

In a statement, Bauma said that it was a privilege to support and take care of such a loving creature, knowing the trauma Ndakasi suffered at a very young age. In addition, Ndakasi’s ‘sweet nature and strong intellect’ helped him ‘understand how humans and Great Apes are linked and why we must protect them.’

‘I am proud to have called Ndakasi my friend,’ he said. ‘I loved her like a child and her cheerful personality brought a smile to my face every time I interacted with her. She will be missed by all of us at Virunga but we are forever grateful for the richness Ndakasi brought to our lives during her time at Senkwekwe.’

The orphaned gorilla made headlines in 2019 when she took a selfie with another orphaned mountain gorilla, Ndeze, in the presence of park ranger Mathieu Shamavu. Soon after the picture went viral, Virunga National Park posted it on Instagram, saying, ‘YES, it’s real!’ Also, it told people not to be shocked by the gorillas’ poses. The fact that these girls were on their two feet is no surprise either – most primates can walk upright for short periods of time (bipedalism).

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The park’s statement said that after Ndakasi’s death, massacres like the one that killed her mother had led to major reforms that ‘significantly strengthened the protection of Virunga’s mountain gorillas.’ During the course of her existence, the species increased by 47 percent, with 720 mountain gorillas in 2007 increasing to an estimated 1,063 gorillas in 2021. The majority of the population lives in Virunga.