Thank you, Andre, for everything you do!
These park rangers are angels on earth, pictures like this make me tear up❤️
In the dense, misty depths of the Congolese rainforest, where the Virunga Mountains rise like ancient guardians of the land, an extraordinary moment unfolded between a park ranger and one of the rarest creatures on Earth.
Andre, a ranger at Virunga National Park, has spent years on the frontlines of conservation—[ri.ski.ng] his life daily to protect mountain gorillas from [po.a.ch.ing], habitat [de.stru.ct.ion], and the [vi.ole.nce] of civil [co.nfl.ict]. His work is tireless, his dedication unshaken.
Yet it is not the [da.ng.er] that defines his story, but the trust he has earned from the very animals he protects.
On this day, that trust was expressed in the simplest and most profound way: a hug.
Ndazi, a young gorilla under Andre’s care, reached out with her long, gentle arms and embraced him. She held on not as an animal to a man, but as a child might cling to a parent—with affection, trust, and gratitude. In Andre’s arms, Ndazi found comfort. In hers, he found a reminder of why his work mattered.
The park ranger laughed softly as the gorilla nestled against him, her wide brown eyes filled with innocence and recognition. Later, in a scene that looked like something from a family outing, Andre even gave Ndazi a piggyback ride through the forest paths—man and gorilla moving together as if they had known each other for lifetimes.
Who could ever doubt their true emotions?
But behind the warmth of this encounter lies a sobering reality. Mountain gorillas like Ndazi are among the most [en.dan.gered] species on the planet. According to the “World Wildlife Fund” (WWF), only about 880 remain in the wild. Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, shelters over half of them. Here, amidst dormant volcanoes and rich rainforests, they cling to survival, thanks only to the relentless efforts of rangers like Andre.
Great work for these animals!!
The [da.nge.rs] are constant. [Po.ach.ers] stalk the forest. Civil [co.nf.lic.ts] spill over into park territory. And now, oil companies eye the park’s land, lobbying to redraw boundaries that could open fragile ecosystems to exploitation. Conservationists fear that [g.re.ed] could [un.do] decades of fragile progress.
Yet in the arms of Ndazi, those [ba.ttl.es] momentarily faded. What remained was the essence of conservation itself—not statistics, not policies, but the bond between humans and the natural world. A gorilla’s hug became a symbol of hope, a reminder that even in the face of [de.str.uct.ion], compassion can bridge the gap between species.
Andre often says that protecting gorillas is not just about saving a species—it is about preserving a piece of our shared humanity. And as Ndazi clung to him that day in Virunga, her small heartbeat pressed against his chest, it was clear: the [f.i.gh.t] to save them is also a [f.i.gh.t] to save something tender and irreplaceable within ourselves.
Sometimes more human than us!
For Ndazi, it was simply an embrace. For Andre, it was the most powerful thank you in the world.
It helps remind me there is good in the world at a time where it doesn’t seem present at all
That was beautiful they’re all put on this Earth for a reason and the gorillas are so amazing is so human like sometimes it better than humans ♥️♥️❤️
Thanks to all the Rangers for helping these Gorillas❤️
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