Gorilla Can't Get Over His Excitement At Making A New Friend

Parry the gorilla's story is one of instability and loneliness.

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He was snatched from his natural habitat in the Cameroon forest as a baby after his mother died, and kept as a pet. When he became too big, the gorilla was abandoned and forced to survive on his own, though he'd completely lost his ability to live in the wild.

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After months of isolation in the wild, villagers saw that he was obviously in distress and reported it to the local animal services. Noticing that the gorilla seemed starving and lost, animal services took him under their wing and took him to the Mefou Primate sanctuary, directed by Ape Action Africa.

He was first put in quarantine to get his strength back up so that he'd eventually be able to join the other gorillas at the centre. A short period of time which seemed like an eternity for poor Parry, who could only watch his future mates playing from afar.

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After a few weeks' wait, Parry was finally free to move to the sanctuary, where he would meet his primate counterparts. He had an immediate connection with Chris, a gorilla that Parry had been watching during the quarantine period and become fascinated with.

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The two gorillas quickly became the best of friends. They spend their days playing and play-fighting to their heart's delight. Parry, now 5 years old, is finally tasting happiness after the sorrow of his youth. Ape Action Africa had this to say on their Facebook page:

We can never replace the family that Parry has lost, but have made a lifelong commitment to providing him with friendship and happiness amongst our other gorilla orphans.

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Looking at how happy Parry is with his new friendship, the staff at the sanctuary can't wait to see his reaction when he meets the female gorillas of the sanctuary, Luci and Chickaboo, any day now. We'll leave you to imagine...

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If you want to help Ape Action Africa continue their work fighting to protect the primates of Cameroon and improve the treatment of those in their sanctuaries, you can make a donation here.

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