After Ndakasi died, André did not describe his years with her as a burden.
He described them as a privilege.
That choice of words reveals something important about conservation.
The work can involve grief repeatedly.
Caretakers become attached to animals they know they may outlive.
Rangers protect creatures that can be killed by a single bullet or snare.
Years of progress can be threatened by political instability or disease.
Still, people continue.
Bauma's work with Ndakasi represented that persistence.
When she was helpless, he remained beside her.
When she grew stronger, he continued caring for her.
When she became famous, he remained her caretaker rather than merely the man in a viral story.
And when she was dying, he stayed again.
Fourteen years changed almost everything about Ndakasi.
She went from a tiny infant to a powerful adult mountain gorilla.
She moved from a rescue facility to Senkwekwe.
She survived trauma, became internationally recognized and helped millions of people understand her species.
But one thing remained.
The person who had been there during her first night without her mother was still there during her last.
A Story That Came Full Circle
There is a temptation to describe Ndakasi's life as though it had a perfect ending.
It did not.
Death after a prolonged illness is not perfect.
Being orphaned by violence is not perfect.
Spending a lifetime unable to return to the wild is not perfect.
What Ndakasi's story offers instead is something more realistic.
Care in the middle of tragedy.
Her story began with loss.
A two-month-old gorilla was found beside her dead mother, dehydrated and frightened.
A ranger held her through a storm because there was little else he could do.
She survived.
Fourteen years followed.
There were caretakers, other gorillas, food, play, veterinary attention, photographs, documentaries and moments that made people around the world smile.
Then illness came.
This time André could not save her.
But he could still do what he had done on that first night.
He could hold her.
On September 26, 2021, Ndakasi died in his arms.
The baby who had once needed his body for warmth returned to the same place for comfort at the end of her life.
Fourteen years had passed.
The frightened infant had grown up.
The world had learned her name.
And when everything else was fading, one familiar presence remained.
The same caretaker.
The same arms.
And, in the final moments of an extraordinary life, the same sense of safety.
Sources
Virunga National Park — “Ndakasi.” Virunga's official biography and death announcement confirms that Ndakasi was born in April 2007, found at approximately two months old beside her mother after the mother was shot, cared for by André Bauma and died in his arms on September 26, 2021.
Virunga National Park — Mountain Gorilla Sanctuary / Gorilla Orphans. Provides additional details about Ndakasi's rescue, including her dehydration and shock, the rainstorm during which André held her against his bare chest and her later life at the Senkwekwe Center.
Virunga National Park — Senkwekwe Centre. Describes Senkwekwe as the world's only facility caring specifically for orphaned mountain gorillas and gives context on the sanctuary's work.
Virunga National Park — January 2021 Ranger Attack Statement. Documents the killing of six Virunga rangers and illustrates the serious security risks faced by conservation staff working in the region.
World Wide Fund for Nature — Mountain Gorilla Conservation Reports. WWF's reporting documents the killings of mountain gorillas in Virunga in 2007 as well as longer-term conservation efforts and population increases across the Virunga landscape.
International Union for Conservation of Nature — Mountain Gorilla Species Information. Provides scientific background on Gorilla beringei beringei, its restricted geographic range and major conservation threats.