Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Young Orphaned Gorillas: See Their Adorable Bond With Park Rangers

"A female western lowland gorilla walks through a river.
Some scientists believe our ancestors lived an aquatic lifestyle."

National Geographic
Published on Jun 17, 2016

At the Senkwekwe Center for mountain gorilla orphans in Congo, a handful of Virunga National Park rangers live around the clock with four juveniles whose parents were killed. The rangers see their families only every few weeks and are very close to their charges. Chief caretaker André Bauma along with his team have hand-raised the gorillas since they were first brought to the center. The first gorilla, Ndakasi, was found when she was just two months old, near the body of her murdered mother. Bauma cared for her like a human child—letting her sleep on his chest for warmth and bottle-feeding her to help build her strength. After that, three more orphaned gorillas joined "the family" at the center. Since no mountain gorilla orphan has ever been successfully returned to the wild, they will always depend on humans. To find out more about the heroic efforts to save the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, tune in to Explorer: Battle for Virunga, June 26 8/7c on National Geographic Channel.
Learn more about Virunga National Park and the rangers fighting to end illegal wildlife trafficking there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB7wH...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrj-3kMUHw

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Today we lost a friend, Maisha (2001-2017)

Virunga National Park
Published on Jul 22, 2017

We remember Maisha, the matriarch of Virunga's family of orphan gorillas. Though Maisha had a hard start in life, when she was taken from her family by poachers at just three years old, she found a secure and peaceful home at Virunga National Park's Senkwekwe Center.

The Senkwekwe Center remains the only facility in the world that cares for orphaned mountain gorillas. Despite the challenges in caring for the species in captivity, the Center collaborates with key veterinary organisations from around the world to ensure the highest standards of care for the gorillas. You can support the work of the Senkwekwe Center at virunga.org/donate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIALLBnNu6Y