Bauma himself described caring for Ndakasi as a privilege.
After her death, he spoke about the trauma she had survived as an infant and the happiness she later brought to the people around her.
He also emphasized something larger: Ndakasi helped him understand the connection between humans and great apes and why protecting gorillas matters.
The relationship was powerful precisely because it lasted.
A single rescue can be dramatic.
Fourteen years of daily care are different.
They involve routine.
Meals.
Health checks.
Cleaning.
Observation.
Moments of play.
Moments of frustration.
Illness.
Recovery.
And, eventually, aging.
Ndakasi was no longer simply the baby André had held during a rainstorm.
She grew into an adult animal whose life had become inseparable from the sanctuary.
Then Her Health Began to Fail
In 2021, Ndakasi developed a serious illness.
Virunga has described it as prolonged, with her condition eventually deteriorating rapidly.
The staff at Senkwekwe had spent years protecting her from threats that had already taken so much from her.
They had protected her from exposure after her mother's death.
They had provided veterinary care.
They had given her companionship.
They had created a place where she could live safely despite being unable to return to a wild gorilla family.
But eventually there was something they could not stop.
By late September, it had become clear that Ndakasi was dying.
For the people who had cared for her since infancy, the loss was deeply personal.
And once again, André was there.
The Same Arms, Fourteen Years Later
On the evening of September 26, 2021, Ndakasi's condition deteriorated dramatically.
She was weak.
She sought comfort against the person who had been part of her life since she was two months old.
Virunga later announced that Ndakasi took her final breath in André Bauma's arms.
The symbolism was impossible to miss.
In 2007, he had held a frightened infant against his body because she might not survive the night.
In 2021, he held an adult gorilla whose life could no longer be saved.
The beginning and ending of her life with humans were connected by the same gesture.
Warmth.
Contact.
Safety.
Presence.
There was no dramatic rescue the second time.
There was simply companionship.
For anyone who has cared for an aging or sick animal, the moment was immediately recognizable.
Sometimes love means saving a life.
Sometimes it means staying when a life cannot be saved.
Why the Final Photograph Moved So Many People
The image of Ndakasi in André's arms spread around the world after Virunga announced her death.
People who had never visited Congo and had never seen a mountain gorilla in the wild responded emotionally to it.
Part of that reaction came from the familiarity of the scene.
Ndakasi was not behaving like a human being.
But the need for comfort during weakness and illness is something people instinctively understand.
The photograph represented trust built over more than a decade.