Two wild gorillas fell in love with their caretaker (6 photos)

Famous British photographer James Gifford managed to capture touching images while he was in the Virunga National Park in the Congo.

The 41-year-old photographer was shocked to see the trusting relationship that developed between park keeper Andre Bouma and two young female gorillas. The gorillas were brought to Virunga in 2007 when they were still young. The rebels felt that the local gorilla population posed a threat to them. Therefore, 9 unfortunate animals were mercilessly exterminated, and the cubs were taken into the care of Andre in the National Park in the Congo, reports the Daily Mail.

At first everything went as usual, the caretaker simply took care of the young gorillas, while talking a lot with his charges. Later, he began to notice that his students liked to touch him. Tactile contact turned out to be very important for young females. Now, when they see Andre, the first thing the gorillas do is try to hug him, holding him tighter.

Photographer James Gifford, who took a series of touching photographs featuring gorillas and Andre, could not concentrate on shooting for a long time, constantly lowering the camera down. The gentle gorillas showed in every way how much they love their human friend.

James added: “The relationship between the gorillas and Andre is truly remarkable - watching them interact, you realize how much they love each other.