The Human Touch

Andre Bauma has devoted his life to caring for orphaned and rescued mountain gorillas in the DRC's Virunga National Park. The conservation work being done in this area against a dire and lethal political backdrop is some of the most important yet least publicised in the world. DRC is home to 300 of the 800 remaining mountain gorillas left in the wild. Andre has cared for this and several other gorillas since they were infants - even staying with them when the centre was overrun by rebels. Some of the gorillas were orphaned after their parents were massacred by rebels, others were rescued after being captured by villagers. Either way, the goal is to eventually reintroduce them into the wild. Andre has an incredible tactile bond with the great apes and while I was watching from a distance, one of Andre's charges enveloped him in a hug giving me the opportunity to capture their remarkable relationship.