A man once found an injured gorilla in the forest when it was still just a tiny baby. It lay motionless in the wet grass, with a wound on its paw, barely breathing. The man couldn’t just walk away — he gently wrapped the little creature in his coat and carried it home.

He took care of it: changed its bandages, fed it with a bottle, warmed it by the fireplace, and spoke to it as if it were a child.

The gorilla quickly got used to its rescuer, and the man grew attached to it too. They lived together for several months, and the gorilla grew — strong, powerful, but with incredibly kind eyes.

However, by law, keeping a wild animal at home was forbidden. One day, the neighbors saw the large animal through the window and reported it to the authorities.

The next day, animal protection officers arrived. The man begged them not to take his friend away, assuring them the gorilla wouldn’t harm anyone, but the decision had already been made.

The gorilla was taken away, and the old man remained alone in his empty house. He sat for a long time by the empty cage, gently touching the old rope the gorilla used to play with, and cried, unable to accept the loss.

Years passed. The gorilla was moved to a local zoo, where it quickly adapted to its new environment. The zookeepers were amazed by its intelligence and calm nature — it never showed aggression and always observed people with a gentle, curious look.

Meanwhile, the old man was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The disease progressed rapidly, and doctors gave him no hope — maybe a month, at most two. He could hardly get out of bed, spoke little, ate little, but one thought never left his mind: he wanted to see his friend, the gorilla, one last time.

His story appeared in a local newspaper, and the zoo’s management, deeply moved, decided to grant his final wish.

On the day of the meeting, the man was brought to the zoo on a stretcher, covered with a blanket. He was breathing heavily, his eyes half-closed, but he was happy. The staff opened the gate and carefully brought him into the enclosure. The gorilla sat in a corner, facing away.

When it heard a faint cough, it turned around. For a few seconds, it just stared at the man, as if unable to believe its eyes. Then it slowly began to approach, taking heavy, deliberate steps. The zookeepers held their breath.

They were sure the gorilla wouldn’t remember the man after all those years, and they had tranquilizers ready just in case.

The gorilla came closer to the elderly man, lowered its head — and did something that shocked everyone
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The gorilla gently touched his hand, sniffed it, then let out a deep, mournful sound — and suddenly wrapped its arms around him.

It didn’t squeeze — it just held him close, as if afraid to lose him again. Its eyes glistened, its breathing grew faster, and it made soft, sorrowful noises — as if it were crying.

The old man raised his hand, stroked its head, and gave a faint smile.

No one could hold back their tears. The gorilla sat beside him, still holding him, rocking gently back and forth, making quiet, almost human-like sounds — as if speaking to him.

A few minutes later, the man closed his eyes, and the staff understood that he had fallen asleep forever.

The gorilla sat beside him for a long time, motionless, and when the zookeepers tried to take the body away, it wouldn’t let them — it growled, protecting him, until it was sure they carried him away gently and with respect.