Adult male wearing a light purple button-up shirt and sunglasses, interacting with juvenile Western Lowland gorillas in a lush green jungle setting under natural daylight. 6:04
The Aspinall Foundation channel icon The Aspinall FoundationOriginal creator 48M views Save

The wild gorilla who fell for Damian's wife

Damian Aspinall hasn't seen these two gorillas in four years. Now they're 16 and 18, living wild, and he wants them to meet his wife, Victoria. more

Victoria has never been near a gorilla, and Damian does not pretend that is a small thing. The males are much bigger now, he says, so this is "slightly scary." His foundation returns gorillas raised in captivity to a wild reserve in Africa, and these two are old friends.

First the team has to find them. The area is huge, and time on the river turns up nothing, so they send up drones. It's not long before the drones spot the gorillas at the edge of the water. Now, Damian says, it all depends on them seeing Victoria as part of his group.

Two gorillas sit among dense green leaves, one facing forward and the other partly hidden behind. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
With help from the drones, the two gorillas turn up in the green by the river.

Damian goes ashore slowly. He doesn't want to frighten them, and he's waiting for a sign that they're relaxed and not hostile. It comes as a soft sound. "He's just given me a little gurgle, which is his first sign that he's being friendly," he says.

Then comes the real test. Damian coaxes Victoria a little closer so the gorilla can see her, hoping he will not feel threatened. Soon the gorilla gurgles again, this time at her. "I think he's accepted her."

They call it a day and come back the next morning, excited to see their friends again. This time Emma, one of the two males, heads straight for Victoria. "He wants you to hold him," Damian tells her. Soon she is lying back in the leaves with Emma leaning over her.

A large gorilla leans over a woman lying on her back with her head tilted up, surrounded by green leaves. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The next morning Emma goes straight to Victoria and leans in close.

He's gentle for such a big animal, and he clearly loves the attention. Damian knows when he's beaten. "I think I've lost my wife."

Then the gorilla goes for her cap. He takes it, puts it on his own head, sideways, and everyone bursts out laughing. A few seconds later he pulls it back off, as if the look was not quite right.

Adult male wearing a light purple button-up shirt and sunglasses, interacting with juvenile Western Lowland gorillas in a lush green jungle setting under natural daylight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Damian Aspinall hasn't seen these two gorillas in four years.

"I think he's completely in love," someone says. Watching Emma and Victoria together, Damian calls it "something incredibly beautiful." He came to see whether a wild gorilla would accept his wife. He got his answer, and a rival.