Orphaned Gorilla Makes A New Best Friend

Parry the orphaned gorilla began his life in the wild with his mother but everything changed when she was killed. Parry was whisked away, out of the home he knew, and into an environment totally unsuitable for a gorilla.

He was kept as a pet in someone’s home until he did what all gorillas do, he grew up. His owners decided he was getting too big to keep around and abandoned him back in the wild.

After being away from the forest for as long as he was, he no longer had the skills to survive on his own.

Some villagers in Cameroon, West Africa, saw Parry – he was all alone and hungrily eating mangoes from a tree.

Parry was too tame to be left in the wild as hunters illegally hunt gorillas for their meat, so wildlife authorities took him to Mefou Primate Sanctuary. The sanctuary is run by Ape Action Africa that gives orphaned chimpanzees, monkeys, and gorillas a safe forest home. Parry lived in quarantine at first, to make sure he was strong and healthy before meeting the other gorillas.

The team soon realized that the sweet five-year-old gorilla was not only unafraid of humans, he was actually seeking their company.

Everyone at the sanctuary nervous about how Parry would react to meeting another gorilla. Chris, another gorilla, and Parry had been living in sight of each other but had never met, until recently. Parry and Chris took to each other almost instantly!

Parry was so curious about Chris – he had never met another gorilla before. The pair played, wrestled, and rolled on the floor together!

Soon, Parry’s new adopted family will expand.

The sanctuary plans on introducing him to two female gorillas, Luci and Chickaboo.

Although the ideal place for a gorilla is out in the wild, living at the sanctuary with his new friends is the next best thing for Parry.