She came into this world holding onto loss — and left it wrapped in love. 🖤🦍
Ndakasi was just a baby when rangers found her holding her dead mother — another victim of poachers in Virunga National Park. That night, a man named Andre Bauma held her close, pressing her small body to his chest to keep her warm. He never let go.
For 13 years, Ndakasi grew with his care — not in the wild where she was born to live, but in a sanctuary that became her home. A safe place, full of second chances and love that crossed species. In return, she gave the world a gift: her face, her story, a reason to care.
You might remember her — smiling next to a ranger in a famous selfie, standing proud as if she belonged to both worlds. And she did.
Ndakasi passed away quietly, her last breath in the arms of the man who first saved her.
She wasn’t just a gorilla.
She was a symbol of what we can save — and a reminder of what we can lose.
Rest peacefully, sweet soul.
You were deeply loved. 🌿