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.
When Aspinall had to leave, Kwibi followed his boat down the river. "All night he hooted, calling for his friend," said Aspinall. At 6:00 the next morning, when Aspinall took a swim, Kwibi was there on the banks of the river.
"It's no different if you go see a friend in another country and you meet and you have a reunion and you go on your separate lives again," Aspinall told Matt Lauer in an interview on "Today." "I always feel I'll see him again."
Aspinall wants the video to encourage people to support the efforts to protect animals in the wild. "I hope when people see this they realize animals deserve their chance and it shows how gentle gorillas can be," Aspinall said on "Today." "We have a responsibility to this earth and I think as a species, we can do so much more for this planet."
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.
When Aspinall had to leave, Kwibi followed his boat down the river. "All night he hooted, calling for his friend," said Aspinall. At 6:00 the next morning, when Aspinall took a swim, Kwibi was there on the banks of the river.
"It's no different if you go see a friend in another country and you meet and you have a reunion and you go on your separate lives again," Aspinall told Matt Lauer in an interview on "Today." "I always feel I'll see him again."
Aspinall wants the video to encourage people to support the efforts to protect animals in the wild. "I hope when people see this they realize animals deserve their chance and it shows how gentle gorillas can be," Aspinall said on "Today." "We have a responsibility to this earth and I think as a species, we can do so much more for this planet."
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this is so beautiful!
yeah! What if your father released you in a danger forest.
I HAVE AN AFRICAN GREY PARROT... RAISED SINCE BIRTH DOMESTICALLY. I'M AFRAID TO LET HIM GO ,BECAUSE HE HASN'T BEEN RAISED IN THE WILD. HE HAS LEFT TWICE,BUT CAME BACK.
I HAVE HAD HIM ALMOST 6 YRS. HE IS ALMOST 10 YRS OLD. I'M A HOME INFUSION NURSE AND BOUGHT HIM FROM A PATIENT SON. HE WASN'T ABUSED JUST PRETTY MUCH NEGLECTED.
I FEEL GUILTY FOR GETTING HIS WINGS CLIPPED (I CAN BE WON'T CLIP THEM,I HAVE THE PET STORE DO IT).
MY QUESTION IS... SHOULD I LET THEM GROW AND TAKE HIM BACK TO THE WILD?
HIS FEATHERS ARE GORGEOUS AND HE'S SPOILED A BIT HERE.
JUST WOULD LIKE ADVICE. IT'S NOT FAIR TO BE A BIRD AND NOT FLY !..I THINK HOW I WOULD FEEL WITH NO UPPER EXTRIMITIES THAT WORK.
SINCERELY,
CINDY AYRES
Cynthia-
Whatever you do don't release your African Gray.... he has no skills to survive. Don't miss flying for him... JMHo
Cynthia, how do you imagine a bird that can't fly is going to survive in the wild? All it can do is walk around on the ground until something comes along to eat it - anything from an escaped house cat on up. Duh.
@CynthiaAyres - I totally understand your sentiment. If you are serious about release don't look to the posts here for guidance. Search the internet to see if there are groups who have done this and know more about it than the posters on this comment page. Parrots are highly social and if it can be done then I would encourage you to give the bird his freedom, as it will only be good for him.
this is to the lady with the parot....my mother also loves and has birds...none that are wild but still she has 2 birds that talk to her and love her like she was there mother...recently i had a couple of birds fly in through my chimmney those birds i set free because thats where they belonged they were scared u could plainly see this...they would fly around the house and perch on the wall or in a hanging plant basket..i caught them finally with a blanket and set them free...the only reason i did this is because they were scared...if your parot loves you why would wanna let it go to where it was unfamiliar and scared...in my opinion i dont think it would be a good idea for you to let this bird go i think his/her life is perfect with you...if it wasnt i believe it wouldnt of come back the times is got loose...dont break your heart or its heart jus be happy you have each other...cause when it comes down to it thats all your parot does have is you...the other birds in the wild might kill it smelling human...you never know...JUST BE HAPPY im sure he/she is right at home....
Regarding the African Grey...can't you let the bird's wings grow out and let her fly in your house when you are home? I have two cockatiels that are full flight, and I let them out when I am home and they are happy birdsand they are safe. I am sure they will live longer and happier lives because they fly, and they love being a part of our family. Birds are very smart and have self awareness. If you love them, they love you back. I wouldn't dream of turning my birds out into the wild where they would, no doubt, be eaten by a predator. Of course, they were not hatched wild and were hand fed after they left the Mama bird. Some wild creatures belong in the wild, and some, once they are a part of your family belong at home with you.
it so beautiful i began to cry a little because a lot of people think gorillas are dangerous and will attack you when they see you put they don't and it is the same way with elephants
Um, Gorillas WILL attack you.
You live in a fantasy land.gorillas,elephants,or chimps will attack you if they dont know you.They percieve you as a threat.The only reason this gorilla didnt attack is because this guy bonded with him for his younger years.
I agree with Safera Cole - that if you believe strong enough that a gorilla or an elephant will not attack you. It doesn't matter what the evidence or the historical record say Safera, just walk up to the next gorilla or elephant you see and shake hands or the trunk with them and you'll see how loving they can be! Just like...peach pie...
I once knew this married elephant and gorilla couple.....LOVELY just LOVELY folks. Never tried to crush me or step on me once! Their kids...uhhh different story, but ya know how kids are these days...
This reminds me of Born Free. God bless both of them. This was so moving, so beautiful. I don't know what else to say.
I almost cried it was so sad to see the way he looked at you, and than knowing you had to leave.
I did cry!!! How beautiful!
Beautiful story. Gorillas are threatened in so many ways; I do hope Kwibi and Aspinall meet again.
Animals are sometimes more human than we are.
humans are animals, dummy
So very true. It seems most aniamals that have been exposed to humans, in a positive manner, develope an unconditional love.