INSIDE EDITION talks to the man who was reunited with the gorilla he raised like a son before returning him to the wild.
The amazing reunion of a gorilla in the wild and the man who raised him like a son was caught on tape.
The two stared lovingly into each others' eyes and even chewed on a leaf together.
The man is conservationist Damian Aspinall, who raised the gorilla named Kwibi after he was born at a wildlife park in England and released into a jungle preserve in Africa.
They hadn't seen each other in five years. Now, their touching reunion has become a YouTube sensation with over 526,000 hits and counting.
It all happened when Aspinall traveled by boat into the dense jungle of Gabon and called out to his old friend Kwibi. Out of nowhere, the gorilla appeared on the riverbank and when Aspinall came ashore, it was like a family getting together after so many years apart.
Kwibi even introduced his human dad to his tribe!
And what happened when Aspinall tried to leave? His gorilla son grabbed him by his shoulders and wouldn't let him go.
When Aspinall finally got back in the boat, Kwibi actually followed him for an hour and a half along the riverbank back to where he was camped.
And when the human dad went for a swim the next morning, his gorilla son was waiting for him.
Aspinall said, "Kwibi, lovely boy, I can see you!"
After the reunion, Aspinall said, "My relationship with Kwibi was about as special as you can get with any human friend."
