Gorillas are known as gentle giants because they possess many of the same qualities as us humans do. In fact, gorillas share 98.3% of their genetic code with us and display human emotions such as laughter and sadness.
With that being said, in difficult circumstances, gorillas can be truly dangerous. And while gorillas are normally only aggressive to other gorillas, they may be wary of animals or humans who come into their territory uninvited.
So when a gorilla from a sanctuary in Africa came across a wild bush baby that was small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, workers at the sanctuary were unsure how he would handle the situation. But they were surprised to find that the gorilla had become fascinated by the bush baby and was incredibly gentle with it. The workers managed to catch some photos of the gorilla and his new friend, and they’re simply adorable!
Bobo the Western Lowland Gorilla was rescued by Ape Action Africa, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of endangered gorillas, chimpanzees, and monkeys, back in 1996. Sadly, the number of gorillas who need rescuing is ever-increasing due to deforestation, international demand for exotic meat, and animal cruelty, to name a few.
The sanctuary now holds lots of friends for Bobo, but despite having a great circle of his own, Bobo is still finding new friends to play with.
“On his morning checks, our gorilla caregiver discovered Bobo cradling a young, wild bush baby,” Ape Action Africa spokeswoman Elissa O’Sullivan told Bored Panda. “The bush baby showed no fear of Bobo, moving around his body and spending time hopping around in an open grassy area, before choosing to return to Bobo.”
The caregiver quickly snapped some pics of the rare sight, and you can see just how gentle Bobo is being with the little creature. Bobo is the dominant male in his group, which includes 3 females and 3 males – so it was ultimately his decision over what would happen to the bush baby. Luckily, he had instantly decided to make it his new best friend.
Caregivers were also surprised that the bush baby was hanging around in the first place.
“Bush babies are usually nocturnal, so it is very rare to see one during the day. We have never witnessed a wild primate interacting with a rescued one at Mefou Sanctuary.”
Naturally, Bobo’s gang soon became interested in the bush baby as well. It’s not every day that a tiny wild animal walks so boldly into an enclosure full of creatures more than ten times its size! But Bobo had become fond of his little friend and didn’t want to perhaps put it in any danger by letting the others take a look.
“Bobo’s group-mates were curious about the bush baby and hoped that he might share it with them, but Bobo kept the bush baby to himself.” Elissa said.
Aren’t there some of the most special photos you’ve ever seen? If you’d like to donate to Ape Action Africa, follow this link here.
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