In the soft grey dawn of the forest, there was a tiny gorilla, trembling and alone. Her name was Ndakasi. She was just a couple of months old when she was found, clinging to her mother’s lifeless body. Her mother had been killed by armed militia in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Ndakasi was the only one in her family who survived.
That moment alone tells us what kind of world she came into. A world where violence invaded even the deepest forests; where the sound of gunshots shattered families. For a gorilla, a mother is everything. Hers was gone.
The Rescue & The Care
When rangers found her, they also found someone who would become much more than a caretaker: Andre Bauma. He cradled Ndakasi, held her close to his bare chest through rain and cold, whispered safety. “You are safe now.” These weren’t just words. Over years, they would become a promise.
Because Ndakasi was very young and her trauma very deep, she could not return to the wild. She needed constant care, healing, company. In 2009, the Senkwekwe Center for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas was built near Rumangabo inside Virunga to do just that. Ndakasi, along with other orphaned gorillas like Ndeze, would live there.
She grew up under human protection. She learned to climb, play, respond to tenderness. She had a personality: mischievous, curious, affectionate. Rangers and people who visited the park often said “she’s half-gorilla, half-human” because of how expressive she was.
Fame Through a Selfie
In 2019, the world took notice. A photograph went viral: Ndakasi and Ndeze, standing relaxed upright, posing accidentally in a selfie with a ranger. Their bellies gently curved, cheeky grins. It wasn’t planned, but somehow that image captured something deeply human in these gorillas. Something hopeful. Something that made people around the world pause and feel.
That photo gave Ndakasi a kind of global voice. Not just as a victim or rescue, but as a being with whimsy, with joy, with individuality. It helped people see mountain gorillas not as remote creatures but as living souls who deserve protection, respect.
Illness, Decline, and Final Moments
Years passed. And through all those years, Andre and the caretakers stayed by her side. But around 2021, Ndakasi began to show signs of serious illness. She lost her appetite, lost weight. Her energy faded. The caretakers tried everything: medicine, rest, love. But her condition deteriorated.
On 26 September 2021, she took her final breath — in the arms of Andre Bauma, the man who had rescued her, healed her, cared for her every single day of her life. She was 14 years old.
What She Left Behind
Ndakasi’s death was deeply sad. But it wasn’t just an end. Her life left several important legacies:
Awareness and Compassion. Through her, many people around the world learned more about mountain gorillas, the threats they face — poaching, militia violence, habitat loss. Those who saw her became more aware.
Conservation Changes. The massacre that orphaned her family and others like it triggered reforms in how Virunga National Park is managed. Security, protections for wildlife got stronger. These changes helped the mountain gorilla population, which was in dire condition.
A Symbol of Hope. Even in her fragility, Ndakasi showed courage. She survived when many didn’t. She lived with love in her heart, even after trauma. She inspired people. She reminded us that care matters, that each creature has worth.
Numbers Matter. When she was born in 2007, the global population of mountain gorillas was very low — estimated around 720 individuals. By 2021, that number had climbed (to about 1,063). It’s still small, still threatened, but it shows conservation can work.
Reflection: What Can We Learn?
That every life counts, even when early years are filled with suffering.
That empathy, consistency, compassion from humans can heal more than wounds of the body — they can heal spirits.
That conservation is not just about protecting land or animals; it’s about protecting relationships, dignity, stories.
That famous moments (like the selfie) can serve as powerful wake-up calls, helping people connect to distant causes.
Closing
In her final moments, Ndakasi rested in the arms of the one who had always protected her. The same arms that had first lifted her from tragedy; the same arms that had sung to her when storms raged. The world lost one of its gentle souls. But in her life, she showed something enduring: love matters. Care matters. And though she is gone, what she inspired will carry forward.
Leave a Reply