Man Raises Baby Gorilla, Five Years After Being Separated This Happens

Man raises baby gorilla. Five years after being separated, this happens. For those of you who don't know Damien Aspinall, he's a multi-millionaire philanthropist with a heart for saving wildlife, especially gorillas. Aspinall founded the Aspinall Foundation, and long before that, he was raising gorillas in his backyard. Well, it isn't exactly a backyard because of the whole mansion thing, but the point is that the guy has often made headlines with his charitable work for not only his own animal rescue setup, but various organizations across the world. Although Damien has saved over a hundred gorillas since his young days, there were a few stories that truly stand out. In fact, he admits there is a special gorilla in Damien Aspinall's heart that will always have a unique place. His name was Queeby, a now-massive gorilla who was rescued and practically raised at Damien's own wild animal park called Howlitz. Queeby's time at Howlitz was often filled with activities involving interaction with Damien, his wife, and other family members. Eventually, Queeby developed a fondness for Damien and other human companions who would treat this gorilla as part of the family. Apart from taking care of Queeby, Damien's foundation had another job. They all reintroduced the captive gorillas back into the wilds once the animals are fully grown and mature enough to handle themselves. During his stay at Howlitz, Damien and Queeby got close. However, it drove a wrench through Damien's heart to realize that Queeby had to be released back to the wilds someday. It was more than likely that the man-gorilla duo won't be able to see one another anymore. Soon after Queeby was released, Damien decided to check back in on him. He asked his local African friends, but they reportedly said that gorilla had developed an aggressive personality, and that it wasn't easy to go near him. Despite the advice, Damien Aspinall decided to see Queeby, and that too after five years. Against all odds, he packed his bags and traveled back to the jungle where the gorilla was once released. Take a look at these powerful images yourself. The look in Queeby's eyes, especially in some of the photos, is quite remarkable. It's as if one moment, he thinks he saw a stranger stepping into his territory, and then he realized that it was Damien, his old friend. The gorilla's facial expressions and feelings soon turn from aggressive to that of a baby or a dog who's ecstatic to see his owner. This proves that gorillas are not just animals. Damien admittedly believes that gorillas have a higher intelligence and empathy level as compared to other animals. Queeby was a lowland gorilla raised at the Howlitz Wild Animal Park under Damien Aspinall's supervision. The guy took care of Queeby for several years and then released him in the Gabon forests in West Africa. The noble act was part of the Wildlife Preservation Initiative. Also, Damien is not able to hold onto these gorillas forever. There comes a time and age when the animal has to be reintroduced into the jungle because that's where they belong. However, there's always a greater risk which threatens the gorilla's life in the jungle. Mortality rate is usually high because since these gorillas have been raised in a man-made sanctuary, they have no practical survival experience that comes naturally. Queeby somehow pulled through, though, and developed into a massive mature gorilla with his own territory. Not only was he much older and stronger than when Damien saw him last, but he was able to attack Damien if he felt vulnerable. Nevertheless, Damien discussed the plan with his family and they eventually agreed to visiting Queeby one last time. Damien was doubtful, in fact convinced that the animal wouldn't remember him after so many years. On top of the supposed reunion, Damien and his crew had to spend a long time finding Queeby in the dense forest. It wasn't an easy job. The team cruised up and down a forest river many times where Damien would emit a specific call that he used with Queeby when he was at Howlitz. Eventually, just when Damien was about to go back, Queeby showed up at the bank out of nowhere to meet Damien. He presumably heard that call and decided to show up to see Damien. Damien slowly moved towards Queeby and sat with him for a while. Eventually, he fed him some leaves with his mouth. The moments were captured to show the entire world an unbreakable bond between a man and a primate. When it was time to go back, Queeby held onto Damien in sort of a piggyback style. It was only when Queeby felt hungry that Damien saw an opportunity and slowly left. Somehow, Queeby followed Damien back along the shoreline. He spent all night on the other side of the riverbank to meet Damien again. When the crew woke up in the morning, they were startled to see Queeby standing on the opposite side of the river, waiting anxiously for Damien to show up. It was another emotional moment where Damien sailed across the river and embraced the gorilla once again. Who would've imagined such a powerful reunion? It goes without saying that the gorilla's bond with his former caregiver transcends all boundaries. It was heartening for Damien to part ways with Queeby, but he knew that whenever he'd be meeting the gorilla next, he'll be received with the same sense of love and affection.