Mountain gorilla Ndakasi, whose selfie from Earth Day 2019 had gone viral, passed away last month at the age of 14. The gorilla was at the Virunga National Park of Congo, where she had been living for over a decade since her rescue.
According to Virunga's press release, Ndakasi died on the evening of September 26. She was suffering from a long-term illness which resulted in a rapid deterioration of her health. The 14-year old gorilla died in her caretaker Andre Bauma's arms while under treatment at the park's Senkwekwe Center.
Andre Bauma said:
"It was a privilege to support and care for such a loving creature, especially knowing the trauma Ndakasi suffered at a very young age. It was Ndakasi's sweet nature and intelligence that helped me to understand the connection between humans and Great Apes and why we should do everything in our power to protect them."
Bauma, who starred in the Netflix documentary on Virunga, also added:
"I am proud to have called Ndakasi my friend. I loved her like a child and her cheerful personality brought a smile to my face every time I interacted with her."
Here's how the internet reacted to Ndakasi's demise
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the average lifespan of a mountain gorilla in the wild is about 40 years. However, due to Ndakasi's condition, she passed away after being an adult for just four years. The news of her untimely death was met with many emotional responses.
How did Ndakasi come to Virunga National Park?
Ndakasi was born in the Kabirizi group in April 2007. She was rescued as a two-month-old toddler after her mother Nyiransekuye ("someone happy to welcome others") was killed by armed militia in the region.
From there, she was taken to a rescue center in Goma, where Ndakasi met her caregiver and friend Andre Bauma. It was decided that due to her experience of losing her mother, she was too traumatized to be left alone in the wild. Thus, the orphaned gorilla was taken to Virunga's Senkwekwe Center (in 2009), where she was accompanied by another gorilla Ndeze.
Virunga described Ndeze as her "partner in crime." Ndakasi's viral selfie ushered her into stardom as she was documented by several tv series and films. According to the park:
"The death of Ndakasi underscores the importance of protecting gorillas in their natural habitat, where they thrive and where their life expectancy is greatest."
The park's concerns are justified as there are only 1,063 gorillas left on the planet, as per WWF.